The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has sealed an ice cream factory named Baby Ice Cream for producing products using harmful colors, excessive sugar, chemicals, and unhygienic practices without any approval.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials conducted a raid at the factory in Rahitpur, Keraniganj. The operation was led by Bikas Chandra Das, Deputy Director of the DNCRP’s Dhaka Division, and Muhammad Hasanuzzaman, Assistant Director of the Dhaka District Office.
The inspection revealed that the factory was producing ice cream without approval from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), using harmful artificial colors, concentrated sugar, and saccharin. Ice creams were being packaged in fake wrappers purchased from the market, with no production information or company address printed on them. The entire production was carried out in unsanitary conditions.
Under the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009, the factory was fined Tk 300,000. Since the fine could not be paid immediately, the DNCRP sealed the facility and destroyed all manufactured ice cream and the stored concentrated sugar.
Assistant Director Hasanuzzaman said, “This factory in Rahitpur was producing ice cream without approval, using concentrated sugar and non-approved colors and flavors. These ingredients, including sodium cyclamate, are extremely harmful to human health.”
He added, “These ice creams are consumed by small children from various shops, posing serious health risks. Parents are urged not to buy any colored ice cream for their children until we can confirm the use of food-grade colors. Homemade ice cream is safer for children than products made in unregulated facilities.”
Addressing illegal businesses, Hasanuzzaman warned, “Use of unapproved colors in ice cream is both harmful and punishable by law. Any violations will face strict legal action, and the factories will be shut down.”
During the operation, two bakeries were fined Tk 40,000 each, and one pharmacy was fined Tk 5,000 for consumer rights violations.
