Unpackaged vermicelli near pile of junk!

After entering a vermicelli factory in Kamrangirchar, it is hard to miss a pile of firewood, some sacks, steel trays, and all sorts of other things –covered with dust and cobwebs.

Anyone could see that the factory has left the unpackaged vermicelli just beside the dirty pile of junk inside the room.

But it gets even worse. Some workers are packaging vermicelli in the next room, without wearing gloves or any clothes from the waist up. Sweat from their brows is falling on the vermicelli.

The Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection found such unhygienic condition at three vermicelli factories in Kamrangirchar during a drive on Wednesday.

The drive at the factories was led by Deputy Director of the directorate Masum Arefin.

He told The Business Standard, "The vermicelli produced here was kept in severely unhygienic condition, for which we fined and warned them."

During the drive, the authority found that vermicelli produced in a factory named Habiba Food Products was being packaged under the names of "Dekko Semai," "Lachchha Semai," "Erfan Semai," and "Shahi Madina Semai."

The directorate fined the three factories Tk60,000 in total. These products are supposed to be sold in the outskirts of Dhaka.

Officials of the directorate said some businessmen produce low quality vermicelli every year to sell them during the Eid season. So the government agencies conduct such drives more frequently ahead of Eid.