Staff Reporter :
The High Court (HC) on Monday directed the government to form an expert committee to examine the pasteurised milk in the market and to submit a report in the court within a month.
The expert committee will be formed with the representatives from Food and Health Ministries, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), concerned experts and
researchers, the court said. The HC bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order and issued a rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Tanvir Ahmed.
In the rule, the HC wanted to know from the respondents as to why their failure to ensure the safety of pasteurised milk as per national requirements should not be declared illegal.
Food and Health Secretary, Director General of Directorate of Health Services, Director General of BSTI, Executive Director of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and IGP have been made respondents to the rule.
The petitioner submitted the petition with the HC seeking direction upon the respondents to form an independent inquiry committee with experts and researchers to examine the pasteurised milk in the market and submit a report in this court.
He said in the petition that 75 pc of pasteurised milk is reportedly unsafe and, therefore, it should be examined.
The International Journal of Food Microbiology published the study on April 24 which found high levels of bacteria, making direct consumption of such milk unsafe.
The level of bacteria was beyond the standards set by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, said the study. It suggested Bangladesh’s dairy companies to ensure strict compliance.
The High Court (HC) on Monday directed the government to form an expert committee to examine the pasteurised milk in the market and to submit a report in the court within a month.
The expert committee will be formed with the representatives from Food and Health Ministries, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), concerned experts and
researchers, the court said. The HC bench of Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order and issued a rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Tanvir Ahmed.
In the rule, the HC wanted to know from the respondents as to why their failure to ensure the safety of pasteurised milk as per national requirements should not be declared illegal.
Food and Health Secretary, Director General of Directorate of Health Services, Director General of BSTI, Executive Director of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and IGP have been made respondents to the rule.
The petitioner submitted the petition with the HC seeking direction upon the respondents to form an independent inquiry committee with experts and researchers to examine the pasteurised milk in the market and submit a report in this court.
He said in the petition that 75 pc of pasteurised milk is reportedly unsafe and, therefore, it should be examined.
The International Journal of Food Microbiology published the study on April 24 which found high levels of bacteria, making direct consumption of such milk unsafe.
The level of bacteria was beyond the standards set by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, said the study. It suggested Bangladesh’s dairy companies to ensure strict compliance.
