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Nestlé Bangladesh Executives Face Arrest After KitKat Samples Fail Food-Safety Tests

02:33 AM, 11/26/2025
Nestlé Bangladesh Executives Face Arrest After KitKat Samples Fail Food-Safety Tests

Nestlé Bangladesh is facing criminal action after government tests found imported KitKat samples failed food-safety standards. Authorities say wafer samples showed 2.32% acidity (BSTI limit 1%) and the chocolate coating had 9.31% milk solids (required 12–14%). A Dhaka magistrate has sought arrest warrants for the company’s managing director and public-policy manager; Nestlé disputes the procedure and says consignments are tested by BCSIR.

Arrest warrants have been sought for two senior executives of Nestlé Bangladesh after government food-safety tests found imported KitKat bars did not meet legal quality standards, authorities said.

What authorities found

Samples collected from retail outlets on Nov. 10 were tested at a government-run food safety laboratory in Dhaka. Inspectors said the wafer and chocolate coating were examined separately and both components fell short of permitted limits:

  • Wafer biscuit acidity: 2.32% (BSTI permitted maximum: 1%).
  • Chocolate coating milk solids: 9.31% (BSTI required range: 12–14%).

Kamrul Hasan, a safe food inspector for Dhaka South City Corporation who filed the case, told the court the results indicate decomposition and said the products were "substandard" and a potential public-health risk.

Legal action and company response

Nusrat Sahara Bithi, a special metropolitan magistrate at a food safety court in Dhaka, has asked police to arrest Deepal Abeywickrema, managing director of Nestlé Bangladesh, and Riasad Zaman, the company's public policy manager, after the laboratory results were confirmed.

Nestlé Bangladesh has challenged the criminal action, saying authorities sought arrest warrants without first reviewing the company’s documentation or consulting its representatives. Debabrata Roy Chowdhury, company secretary at Nestlé Bangladesh, said the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) does not have a specific standard for KitKat and that consignments are tested and released by the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR).

Context and next steps

The case illustrates tensions between regulators and importers over testing standards and protocols. Authorities say they will proceed with legal measures after the laboratory results; Nestlé Bangladesh says it follows government testing procedures for consignments. The judicial process and any independent follow-up testing will determine whether the products were unfit for sale and whether criminal charges proceed.

Background

KitKat is a globally recognized chocolate-covered wafer brand. It originated in the UK and is produced under Nestlé's global brand outside the United States, where it is made under license by The Hershey Company.

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