Ice cream factories in Gaibandha have been manufacturing coloured and adulterated ice cream and selling it in rural areas.
Consumers of the tainted ice cream, especially children, have suffered from many health complications, says Dr Ahad Ali, a civil surgeon.
Moreover, these factories manufacture ice cream under the names of the reputable ice cream companies of the country. Sources said the ice cream was mixed with toxic chemicals to enhance its colour.
Over 200 ice cream factories have been set up in the district in recent years, and all of them are alleged to have been manufacturing adulterated and toxic ice cream to boost profit, at the expense of the consumers’ health.
Factory owners use hawkers to supply the ice cream at school gates, houses and markets.
Ice cream consumers, especially children in the district’s rural areas have contracted dysentery, diarrhoea and liver-related complications.
Saddam Hossian, a local social worker, said the factory owners were able to manufacture and supply their adulterated product because there was no authority to hold them accountable.
Sources allege that most of these factories do not have valid licences from the government.
The people of the district have urged the government to establish mobile courts to protect the greater interest of the public by taking legal action against the unscrupulous factory owners.