The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) collected fines totalling Tk 20.50 lakh from 16 establishments and filed as many cases during a nationwide enforcement drive conducted between August 23 and 29, the authority said in a message on Sunday.
The action combined mobile court operations across the capital and several districts with summary trials led by judges of the Pure Food Court and a metropolitan magistrate, undertaken to enforce the Safe Food Act, 2013.
In the Dhaka metropolitan area, five establishments were raided, of which two were fined a combined Tk 2 lakh and booked in two cases for running unregistered operations, selling stale food, and failing to display trade licences.
Outside the capital, mobile courts were run at 12 establishments across Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Cumilla, Cox's Bazar, Feni, Chattogram, Mymensingh, Panchagarh and Sylhet during the same week.
These establishments were fined a combined Tk 16.50 lakh and faced 13 cases over the use of unauthorised colouring, missing product labels, storage or sale of expired items, unhygienic production conditions, and the use of burnt or reused cooking oil.
Separately, on August 26, a summary trial held in Chatmohar and Sadar upazilas of Pabna district, led by a Pure Food Court judge and a metropolitan magistrate, with the district's Safe Food Officer present, took legal action against two establishments. One was fined Tk 2 lakh for producing cheese without registration and violating hygiene rules, while a regular case was filed against the other.
Alongside enforcement, BFSA said it had stepped up nationwide monitoring of food establishments to ensure compliance, inspecting a total of 264 outlets, including markets, hotels and restaurants, bakeries, sweet shops, and food production and processing units during the week.
The monitoring drive tracks adherence to safe food practices across production, storage, serving, processing and marketing, with directives and legal action taken against establishments as needed.
The authority added that its multi-pronged awareness campaigns on safe food remain ongoing, aimed at educating the public on safe food consumption, hygienic production and marketing practices, and consumer responsibilities.