Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) could not detect the presence of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead in Maggi noodles on account of its technical inability, sources said.
They said, the BSTI has collected sample of Maggi noodles for laboratory testing but it has failed to detect the poisonous ingredients in the food products due shortage of parameters for such test.
As the BSTI failed to confirm to food safety norms on Maggi noodles, it has further created confusion among the consumers of Bangladesh.
“We have no parameter to detect presence of lead and MSG in Maggi noodles.
So, we referred it to the technical committee of the BSTI for further act,” Ekramul Hoque, Director General of BSTI told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He said that the committee will work on it and present a report whether Maggi noodles are safe or not for public health.
“We have already convened a high-level meeting to take a view on the ongoing controversy surrounding Maggi noodles,” he added.
Maggi recently came under the scanner of Indian Food Safety and Drug Administration as laboratory tests found presence of MSG and lead more than the permissible limits.
This compelled Nestle India to withdraw the snack from the markets.
“The sale of Nestle products is going on in Bangladesh despite harmful ingredients in it detected by the India authorities,” Golam Rahman, President of Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) told The New Nation yesterday.
He added: The government cannot allow such products for marketing without carrying out proper tests considering safety of the public health.
When asked, he said, “BSTI is a national institution and their failure cannot be acceptable to us”.
Golam Rahman demanded imposition of immediate ban on sale of Nestle products until laboratory tests prove that it is save for public health.
“The government should seek help of experts to conduct tests on all variants of Maggi noodles to resolve the controversy of Nestle products in Bangladesh,” he added.
Although the BSTI has failed to confirm the food safety norms, Nestle Bangladeshi is conducting media campaign claiming the Maggi is good for health.
It continues to publish advertisement in print media saying the BSTI test proved that their products are not health hazardous.
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) could not detect the presence of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead in Maggi noodles on account of its technical inability, sources said.
They said, the BSTI has collected sample of Maggi noodles for laboratory testing but it has failed to detect the poisonous ingredients in the food products due shortage of parameters for such test.
As the BSTI failed to confirm to food safety norms on Maggi noodles, it has further created confusion among the consumers of Bangladesh.
“We have no parameter to detect presence of lead and MSG in Maggi noodles.
So, we referred it to the technical committee of the BSTI for further act,” Ekramul Hoque, Director General of BSTI told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He said that the committee will work on it and present a report whether Maggi noodles are safe or not for public health.
“We have already convened a high-level meeting to take a view on the ongoing controversy surrounding Maggi noodles,” he added.
Maggi recently came under the scanner of Indian Food Safety and Drug Administration as laboratory tests found presence of MSG and lead more than the permissible limits.
This compelled Nestle India to withdraw the snack from the markets.
“The sale of Nestle products is going on in Bangladesh despite harmful ingredients in it detected by the India authorities,” Golam Rahman, President of Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) told The New Nation yesterday.
He added: The government cannot allow such products for marketing without carrying out proper tests considering safety of the public health.
When asked, he said, “BSTI is a national institution and their failure cannot be acceptable to us”.
Golam Rahman demanded imposition of immediate ban on sale of Nestle products until laboratory tests prove that it is save for public health.
“The government should seek help of experts to conduct tests on all variants of Maggi noodles to resolve the controversy of Nestle products in Bangladesh,” he added.
Although the BSTI has failed to confirm the food safety norms, Nestle Bangladeshi is conducting media campaign claiming the Maggi is good for health.
It continues to publish advertisement in print media saying the BSTI test proved that their products are not health hazardous.
