Government Policy on Electrolyte Drinks in Bangladesh | How are electrolyte drinks regulated in Bangladesh?

My husband was sipping a locally made electrolyte drink after a run on the treadmill when a news item about a product ban complaint appeared on my social media news feed. This particular drink is very popular in my house and sometimes – mainly after sports activities – I let my child drink it too. I still have a dozen or so packages left in the fridge and I don’t know what to do with them.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) recently sued the owners of seven companies for selling five popular brands of electrolyte drinks without necessary permits. These brands are SMC Plus, Aktive Plus, Bruvana, Recharge and Turbo. In a case filed in the Pure Food Court, arrest warrants were issued for top executives of the companies and the CEO of one of the companies marketing one of the brands was fined Tk 16 lakh for illegally selling an electrolyte drink.

For the latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel.

While the BFSA should be commended for taking the much-needed initiative to ban the unauthorized sale of these drinks, the obvious question is why did it take over two years for the body to file its case? Most of these local brands have been on the market for several years. Take SMC Plus for example: it was launched in March 2021. From advertisements to events, these brands have been widely promoted. How come the food safety authority didn’t notice this sooner?

The issue has raised further questions about electrolyte drink regulations in the country. Let’s start with which regulatory body should give approval for electrolyte drinks – the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Authority (BSTI) or the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA)? Because electrolyte drink brands claim to hydrate and solve blood pressure and fatigue problems, some may easily mistake them for medicinal supplements. Interestingly, imported electrolytes are sold with BSTI approval. This answers the above question to some extent.

However, local electrolyte drinks have not received BSTI approval. Officials from some companies said they contacted BSTI and met with the authorities, but according to BSTI officials, they could not approve them because electrolyte drinks do not fall under the mandatory product category. The BSTI will be able to approve the drink once such a category is created. How long does BSTI need to create such a category?

These products are widely consumed around the world, and in other countries there are best practices that you can simply study and implement. For example, in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating the safety of bottled water, including water “containing flavors, others may also contain added nutrients such as vitamins, electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, and amino acids. “Bangladesh authorities just need to look at the required regulations and replicate the system for locally produced electrolyte drinks.

Imported sports drinks with electrolytes have been available in Bangladesh for a long time. Interestingly, the import sticker of one of these extremely popular global brands bears the BSTI seal under the BDS 1581:2015 standard, classified under BSTI standards as “fruit drinks”. Electrolytes are not fruit drinks and therefore the BDS 1581:2015 standard should not apply to them, which means that they are imported and sold in the wrong category and should be immediately withdrawn from the market until they are assigned the appropriate BSTI standard.

The BSTI Bangladesh Standard (BDS) list for agricultural and food products includes standards for many beverage categories, including but not limited to: natural mineral water, lassi (yogurt drink), flavored milk, fruit drinks, soft drinks powder, artificially flavored drinks , cocoa sugar powder mixtures for preparing drinks, carbonated drinks, still and non-alcoholic drinks. Since the BSTI covers so many different types of beverages, there should be no reason why it shouldn’t be a category and standard for electrolytes. Perhaps BSTI’s inaction and failures are to blame for the inexplicable inaction, bureaucracy and gross lack of accountability that are so characteristic of our public institutions.

In the heat of Bangladesh, it is normal for people, especially those who perform physically demanding tasks, to drink fluids with added nutrients such as traditional homemade lebur shorbot, plain lemon water, saline and even electrolytes. In such circumstances, regulatory authorities should have acted promptly on the request of companies producing electrolyte drinks locally. After the necessary tests and inspections, they should be able to be sold on the market, especially at a time when we should promote the development of local industry and reduce our dependence on imports. The price of imported electrolyte drinks is very high compared to local options. While a 500 ml bottle of local electrolyte drink costs around Tk 75-80, a 500 ml bottle of imported electrolyte drink costs around Tk 450.

Due to the extremely hot weather conditions we are experiencing in the country this year, beverage sales have increased by 20-40 percent. Interestingly, both domestic and imported electrolytes are still available on the market, especially on online platforms. So, in terms of enforcement, who will ensure that these products are not sold until BSTI has tested and approved them? Or will they be consumed by the public without BSTI testing or with incorrect BSTI labels? So where is the responsibility of BSTI?

It is unfortunate that despite having been selling electrolyte drinks in Bangladeshi markets for so long, we now have to ask these basic questions about food safety. Although companies have caused harm by selling electrolyte drinks without the necessary assessment and consent of BSTI, what is worse is BSTI’s passivity in this regard. They have neither banned nor authorized the sale of these products on the market. If these drinks do not meet basic consumption standards, they should be withdrawn from the market immediately. At the same time, BSTI and related bodies should be held accountable for allowing the mass sale of electrolyte drinks (including drinks imported in the wrong BDS category) on the market without the necessary authorisations.

Food safety is a critical and very sensitive issue. The authorities concerned, including BSTI, should look into this immediately and resolve the issue at the earliest. The BFSA should look into the labeling of imported electrolyte drinks. Authorities should also check whether BSTI labels on other imported products are incorrect. Most importantly, BSTI should be held accountable for this gross neglect of its duties.

Tasneem Tayeb is a columnist Day Star. Her X handle is @tasneem_tayeb

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.

Follow Daily Star Opinion on Facebook, where you will find the latest opinions, comments and analyzes of experts and professionals. To submit your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, please see our submission guidelines.