Cocola Food Products Ltd has admitted to producing substandard food, as a Dhaka court fined its chairman Tk3 lakh after laboratory tests confirmed that one of its wafer products failed to meet safety standards.
The verdict was delivered on 6 January by Special Metropolitan Magistrate Nusrat Sahara Bithi of the Safe Food Court. Chairman Shukkur Mia was released from the case after paying the fine.
The case originated from an inspection conducted in September last year, by officials of the Dhaka South City Corporation at a departmental store in Khilgaon. According to the formal complaint filed by food inspector
Kamrul Hasan, authorities purchased samples of “Cocola The Real Wafer Roll” on suspicion of adulteration and followed standard procedures by dividing the samples into sealed portions in the presence of shop manager before sending them for laboratory analysis.
The product, which is marketed as a packaged chocolate wafer and commonly consumed by children, was later tested at a government laboratory where it was found to be non-compliant with food safety standards.
Subsequent testing at a government laboratory revealed that the product failed to meet required safety standards. The moisture content was found to be 3.90%, exceeding the permissible limit of 3.0%, while total ash content stood at 0.07% against the standard maximum of 0.05%.
The product was declared non-compliant under the Safe Food Act 2013.
Following the findings, the company issued a recall notice on 22 October 2025, instructing distributors to return unsold products from the affected batch produced on 19 August 2025, with an expiry date of 18 January 2026.
During court proceedings, the company informed that the products had been withdrawn from the market and the remaining stock had been destroyed.
In its defence, the accused admitted the offence and sought leniency, stating that law violation occurred due to lack of awareness and limitations in quality verification. The company also cited financial difficulties and assured the court that it would be more cautious in the future.
Taking these factors into consideration, the court imposed a fine of Tk3 lakh and released the chairman, bringing the case to a conclusion. The incident has once again raised concerns about food safety standards and regulatory enforcement in Bangladesh’s processed food sector.
