Photo: Collected
Adilur Rahman recently bought a foreign perfume from the Eastern Plus Shopping Complex in the capital. Upon returning home, he sprayed it, only to find a foamy, curdled substance coming out of the bottle instead of a liquid spray. Given that the product was still within its expiry date, Adilur Rahman naturally questioned why this happened.
It’s not just Adilur Rahman; many people have experienced similar deceptions when purchasing products from major markets in the capital. Upon investigation, it was found that these cosmetics and food items, sold as foreign products, lack any certification marks.
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) Act-2018 states that one of the institution's responsibilities is to certify the quality of goods, materials, manufactured products, and food items, whether for local use, export, or import.
However, on-site visits to various markets in Gulshan-1, Gulshan-2 of DNCC, Eastern Plaza in Hatirpul, Motijheel Plaza, Eastern Plus in Shantinagar, Karnaphuli Shopping Centre, Mouchak Market, and Anarkali Shopping Centre revealed that foreign food and cosmetic products in these markets lack import certification marks.
Due to the absence of import certification marks on these products, there is no guarantee of their authenticity or safety. While these products are often priced lower than other approved items, consumers are attracted to them despite the significant risk of fraud and potential harm.
Conversations with cosmetics traders on the ground floor of Eastern Plaza Shopping Complex revealed that most of their goods arrive via the “luggage party.” On one hand, these goods may be genuine, but they enter the market by evading customs duties. On the other hand, there is no reliable way to verify their authenticity.
Similarly, in DNCC shops, Indian food products are sold haphazardly, raising significant concerns about their quality, health safety, and the accuracy of the expiry dates on their packaging.
Regarding this issue, Golam Rahman, President of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said that many people are unaware that BSTI is responsible for certifying the quality of these foreign products. Many items brought in through the “luggage party” are often expired, with old expiry dates removed and new ones added. The absence of certification marks renders these products unsafe for use.
Although there have been reports of such products being produced and sold in areas like Jinjira or Keraniganj, Nurul Amin, Director of the Certification Marks Wing at BSTI, responded to questions about how these products continue to be marketed in elite areas of the capital like Gulshan-Shantinagar, saying, “In reality, these products are being brought in and sold through luggage. We have conducted drives in various supermarkets in Gulshan-Banani and imposed fines. Please provide us with information, and we will conduct another drive accordingly.”
When asked how BSTI remains unaware of these illegal products, Dr. Mahfuz Kabir, Senior Research Fellow and Economist at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), commented that BSTI has many limitations, including manpower shortages and other constraints.
However, he emphasised that in addition to BSTI, the Customs Department of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) also has a significant responsibility to prevent the marketing of these products brought in through luggage. BSTI should coordinate with Customs, which would make their job much easier. This would reduce the volume of goods coming through luggage, and, if traders are discouraged, the demand for these illegal products would also decrease.
Messenger/Disha
