Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has filed cases against 10 milk companies after tests at six laboratories found harmful levels of heavy metals such as lead in the samples.
BFSA Inspector Kamrul Hasan filed the case with the Pure Food Court on Wednesday (July 24).
“The judge has set the hearing dates for next month,” he told Bangla Tribune.
The 10 companies that have been sued are: Bangladesh Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Limited (Milk Vita), Baro Aulia Dairy Milk (Dairy Fresh), Igloo, Akiz Food and Beverage (Farm Fresh Milk), Aftab Milk, Shilaidaha Dairy (Altra Milk), Aarong Dairy, Pran Milk, Ichamati Dairy Limited (Pure) and Same Milk.
Previously on Jul 16, BFSA submitted a report at the High Court showing that it found traces of lead in 11 out of the 14 pasteurized milk brands approved by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI).
It also found traces of cadmium, another hazardous substance, in a few samples among the 50 samples of raw milk they tested
The findings were unveiled in front of the bench of Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam who ordered the BFSA and BSTI to file within Jul 28 a report on what steps had been taken against those companies.