Harmful ingredients detected in KitKat, Sugar: Arrest warrants issued against Nestlé, Meghna MDs

A Dhaka food safety court has issued arrest warrants against senior officials of Nestlé Bangladesh and Meghna Group on charges of producing, importing, and marketing substandard food products.

Special Metropolitan Magistrate Nusrat Sahara Bithi passed the orders in two separate cases on Monday (November 24).

Dhaka South City Corporation food inspector Kamrul Hasan, the complainant in both cases, said the orders followed the detection of serious irregularities in products from the two companies.

One case involves arrest warrants against Dipal Abe Vikrama, managing director of Nestlé Bangladesh, and Riasad Zaman, public policy manager. The allegation states that KitKat chocolate-coated wafers are being sold in Bangladesh without BSTI approval and that the product contains substandard ingredients.

Government laboratory tests revealed:

* Acidity in the wafer biscuit at 2.32%, against the BSTI-approved 1%,
* Milk solids in the chocolate coating at 9.31% instead of the required 12–14%,
* Milk fat at 1.23%, below the standard 2.5–3.5%.

According to inspector Kamrul, excessive acidity indicates spoilage, while the reduced presence of dairy components shows non-compliance with quality standards.

Nestlé Bangladesh’s company secretary, Debabrata Roy Chowdhury, denied the allegations, stating that BSTI has not set any specific standard for KitKat. He added that every consignment imported from Dubai and India receives clearance after testing by BCSIR. He also claimed the company had not received any prior notice, saying such actions could discourage foreign investment.

Meghna Group Sugar Samples Fail Standards

In the second case, an arrest warrant has been issued against Mostafa Kamal, Chairman of Meghna Group and Managing Director of Meghna Sugar Refinery.

The complaint states that samples of sugar produced at Meghna Sugar Mill contained only 77.35% sucrose, far below the minimum requirement of 99.70%. Tests also detected 0.08 ppm sulfur dioxide, which is entirely prohibited under BSTI standards. Sulfur dioxide is generally used to artificially whiten sugar.

Inspector Kamrul explained that low sucrose levels indicate the use of artificial sweetening substances instead of pure sugar.

However, Meghna Group did not respond to requests for comment.

The Food Safety Court has scheduled the next hearing in both cases for December 15.