An arrest warrant has been issued against Nestlé Bangladesh Managing Director Dipal Abe Bikrama and Public Policy Manager Riyasad Jaman over the sale of substandard KitKat chocolate.
The order was issued by the Safe Food Court following a petition from Dhaka Sanitary Inspector Mohang Kamrul Hasan on Monday. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 15.
Previously, a case under the same law was ongoing against the owner of KitKat importer Sumaiya Enterprise, Mojammel Hossain. Recent investigations reveal that even the KitKat chocolates imported by Nestlé Bangladesh contained significantly lower levels of milk solids and milk fat than prescribed by Bangladeshi and international standards, rendering the product substandard.
Laboratory tests showed milk solids at only 9.31% instead of the required 12–14%, and milk fat well below the standard. Both the Public Health Food Laboratory and the Safe Food Authority confirmed these results.
The investigation also found that Nestlé Bangladesh imported and marketed KitKat from Dubai and India without mandatory clearance from BSTI, violating food safety and import regulations. The supplementary charge sheet submitted to the court noted that this practice continuously deceives consumers.
Nestlé Bangladesh has not commented on the latest findings. In the earlier case, the company claimed that the controversial products were not imported by them and that they had no connection with Sumaiya Enterprise. However, the recent evidence showing substandard products imported directly by Nestlé has escalated the situation.
Once a globally respected brand, KitKat’s quality issues have sparked consumer outrage. Many are questioning: “If such a major multinational deceives its customers, whom can we trust?”