A mobile court has fined Commander Soap Company Tk3 lakh after the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) found underweight Cosco soaps, along with licensing irregularities.
BSTI officials said market samples showed products weighing less than the quantities declared on their packs.
One 80g product weighed 71.55g, a shortfall of 8.45g, while a 30g product weighed 26.60g, or 3.40g less than declared.
Officials conducting the drive also said tests across the sampled products found weight shortfalls of about 15-20g in many cases.
According to a video of the BSTI drive shared on its social media channels, a company representative told officials that glycerine soap could lose weight because of natural shrinkage.
BSTI officials, however, said existing rules already account for products that may shrink because of weather or other conditions and require manufacturers to ensure that the declared weight is maintained when products reach the market.
The inspection also found that the manufacturer had obtained a certification mark, or CM, licence but had not obtained the required product packaging registration, commonly known as a PCR licence.
