The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has fined a factory Tk 3 lakh for producing fake and substandard oral saline in Ashulia’s Kandail area on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The action was taken on Thursday afternoon (May 7) against a company named Best Tasty Food Industries Ltd during a drive led by Assistant Director Mohammad Hasanuzzaman of the Dhaka district office of the consumer rights body.
According to officials, acting on a tip-off, the team conducted a raid at the factory and found evidence of production and marketing of counterfeit oral saline. During the operation, 45 cartons of oral saline and “Tasty Saline” ready for distribution were seized and sealed in a designated room.
Officials also said the factory was producing several other products, including Tasty Saline, C-Vit, Pulse chocolate, Tasty Hajmi, and “Kof” tablets, many of which reportedly had no official approval. Although the company was using a BSTI quality mark, it failed to produce valid authorisation documents, added the officials.
The DNCRP further found irregularities in raw materials and production equipment used at the facility.
“Like SMC oral saline, this factory was producing oral saline under the name Best Tasty Food Industries Ltd. without approval from the Drug Administration, which is a punishable offence under consumer protection laws,” said Assistant Director Mohammad Hasanuzzaman.
He added that apart from the fine, all saline production activities at the factory have been ordered to remain suspended. The seized products have been sealed to prevent their distribution in the market, and previously distributed products have been ordered to be recalled.
The factory has been asked to submit valid documents for its other products by May 11. Officials warned that failure to provide proper documentation may lead to permanent closure of the facility.
