The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

In a latest development the High Court yesterday ordered the government to ban display and sale of eight foreign milk powder brands, which were found contaminated with melamine in a Dhaka University laboratory test.

The eight banned brands are Australia's Diploma and Red Cow, Denmark's Dano Full Cream, China's Yashli-1, Yashli- 2 and Sweet Baby, and New Zealand's Nido Fortified Instant and Anlene.

The High Court also issued a show cause notice to the government to explain within four weeks why its previous inaction over stopping their sale should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench comprising Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam gave the order on Thursday on a public interest litigation filed by a human rights organisation and others.

As many as eight litigants including 'Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh' filed the complaint.

The Home Secretary, Finance Secretary, Commerce Secretary, the National Board of Revenue Chairman, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, BSTI Director General and Inspector General Of Police have been named in the notice.

The laboratorial test of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Dhaka found that all the eight brands of milk contained melamine ranging between 40 milligram (mg) per kg to 450mg per kg.

The result showed Nido Fortified Instant contains highest level of melamine about 450mg per kg and Dano contains lowest level of melamine 40 mg per kg. Other brands, Sweet baby-2 contains 280 mg, Yashli-1 contains 140mg, Yashli-2 holds 290mg, Anline 200mg, Diploma 230mg, and Red Cow 300mg.

However, following demand of the multinational companies that the powder milk available in Bangladesh market do not contain melamine the government on October 19 decided to re-examine the sample of eight-powder milk brands that tested positive.

To this effect the government formed two committees to conduct three tests on the eight powder milk brands. The authorities asked the committees to submit their report within seven days.

A twelve-member expert committee comprising two teachers from Department of Chemistry of Dhaka University (DU), three members each from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), and the BCSIR, two members from Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI), one member each from the Health Ministry and the Plasma Plus, a private laboratory was formed to examine the milk powder.

The committee will conduct two tests separately on the eight powder-milk brands within the country and one in a foreign laboratory.

After getting the test report from the expert committees, the government will take final decision on the eight powder milk brands, Commerce secretary Firoz Ahmed told newsmen.