Tk 3 lakh fine imposed on Ashwin Foods

A mobile court on Wednesday fined Ashwin Foods Limited Tk 3 lakh for multiple violations of the Safe Food Act, 2013, during a joint enforcement drive conducted by the Kaliganj Upazila Administration and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) in Gazipur.

The drive was led by Zakia Sarwar Lima, Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate of Kaliganj. BFSA Food Safety Officer Farzana Yasmin Sonia and the Kaliganj Upazila Food Safety Inspector also took part in the operation.

According to a press release, inspectors found that the company had provided inaccurate and incomplete information on product labels and failed to ensure proper labelling and storage of food additives.

The factory was also unable to produce laboratory test reports or shelf-life study documents to justify the 30-day expiry period declared for its bread products.

Officials further found uncovered food products and the presence of flies inside the factory, indicating poor hygiene standards.

The company also failed to maintain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and Certificates of Analysis (CoA) for food additives, provide evidence of the proper use of food additives in production, or preserve invoices and purchase records for food products.

Food samples were collected from the factory for laboratory analysis, officials said.