Arrest warrants have been issued against senior officials of three major companies—Nestlé Bangladesh, Meghna Group, and SA Group of Industries—over allegations of marketing substandard and unsafe food products in the country.
The warrants were issued on Monday (24 November) by Nusrat Sahara Beethi, Magistrate of the Bangladesh Safe Food Court, following petitions filed by Kamrul Hasan, Safe Food Inspector (Sanitary Inspector) of Dhaka South City Corporation. The next hearing for the two cases has been set for 15 December.
Nestlé Bangladesh Under Scrutiny for Substandard KitKat
Warrants have been issued against Deepal Abe Vikrama, Managing Director of Nestlé Bangladesh, and Riasad Zaman, Public Policy Manager, for allegedly marketing substandard KitKat chocolate in Bangladesh.
A previous case (20/2025) was already underway regarding low-quality KitKat sold in the market. In that case, importer Mo. Mozammel Hossain of Sumaiya Enterprise is the primary accused, with an arrest warrant already issued.
Lab tests conducted by Bangladesh Safe Food Authority and the National Public Health Food Laboratory found the KitKat samples to be below standard.
- Required milk solids: 12–14% | Found: 9.31%
- Required milk fat: 2.5–3.5% | Found: 1.23%
A fresh report submitted this month again found new samples of imported KitKat to be substandard. Authorities also noted that Nestlé Bangladesh imported KitKat from Dubai and India without obtaining mandatory BSTI clearance, violating the Import Policy Order 2021–2024.
Nestlé Bangladesh, however, rejected the allegations.
Debabrata Roy Chowdhury, Director (Corporate Affairs), said the company is being “harassed,” adding that KitKat does not yet fall under any official BSTI standard and is imported based on permissible limits under the Safe Food Act.
Meghna Group Chairman Accused Over Adulterated Sugar
An arrest warrant has also been issued against Mostafa Kamal, Chairman of Meghna Group of Industries, after lab tests found “Fresh Refined Sugar” to be adulterated and unsafe.
Samples collected from a Shwapno outlet in Middle Bashabo were tested at the Modern Food Testing Laboratory and found to be of unacceptable quality, violating Sections 23 and 26 of the Safe Food Act 2013.
Meghna Group rejected the allegations, stating they were unaware of any such case and calling the accusations “false.”
SA Group Chairman Wanted Over Fake Milk Powder
In a separate case, the court issued a warrant against Md. Shahabuddin Alam, Chairman of SA Group of Industries, for selling severely substandard milk powder under the brand “Goalini Dairy Full Cream Milk Powder.”
Lab tests found extreme discrepancies:
- Required milk fat: minimum 42% | Found: 7.58%
- Required protein: 34% | Found: 9.50%
Investigators described the findings as “serious fraud and severe quality deficiency.”
The sample was collected at Tk 650 per kg and tested on 21 October 2025, with the report confirming the product as non-compliant.
Authorities Intensify Crackdown on Unsafe Food
Zakaria, Chairman of the Bangladesh Safe Food Authority, confirmed both cases and noted that around 150 food samples are tested monthly. Manufacturers failing to meet quality standards are given 3–6 months to improve; otherwise, legal action follows.
He added that in many cases, the ingredients listed on product labels do not match lab findings, prompting strict measures to protect consumers.
