The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution is undergoing drastic changes to accelerate its activities against adulterated food manufacturers, according to a report in the New Nation.
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A proposal has been approved by the BSTI Council, headed by the industries minister for deputation of eight magistrates to the institute. Process is also underway to recruit additional officials, BSTI director general Abdul Haque Chowdhury told the New Nation.
“The government is single-minded to remove sub-standard food items from the market,” he said.
“At present, we cannot take immediate action against complaints due to the non-availability of magistrates,” he said. The proposal regarding deputation of magistrates is now going through some formalities. Out of the eight deputed magistrates as proposed four will work in Dhaka and Chittagong divisions and the four others in four remaining divisional headquarters.
“We have given advertisements inviting applications and the procedure is expected to be completed soon,” he said.
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By GlobalDataThe BSTI has made it mandatory for the manufacturers of finished products to put date of production, date of expiry, weight, ingredients and price on product containers. “The food items that do not conform to these criteria must be avoided by the consumers,” Abdul Haque said.
The BSTI is to monitor half-finished and processed food items. “The fish, beef, imported fruits and cooked meals at hotels and restaurants are under the purview of the City Corporations,” he said.
“People’s awareness can play a crucial role in preventing adulterated products from getting on the shop shelves,” he added.
