4,200kg of concentrated sweetener seized in Chattogram Port

Officials say a Keraniganj-based firm imported the sweetener by calling it “poly aluminium chloride”

Customs authorities in Chattogram have seized a consignment of roughly 4,200kg of concentrated sweetener (sodium cyclamate), an item banned for import into Bangladesh, from a container arriving from China.

A Chattogram Customs team intercepted the consignment, the National Board of Revenue said on Wednesday.

According to officials, Keraniganj-based firm Ejaz Trading imported 22,088kg of goods from China by declaring the cargo as “poly aluminium chloride”. The container reached Chattogram Port on Oct 21.

A media statement said customs halted the release of the goods based on a tip-off, later discovering two different substances inside.

Tariq Mahmud, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Customs, told bdnews24.com that samples were collected on Nov 6 and sent for laboratory testing. The report confirmed the presence of sodium cyclamate mixed with poly aluminium chloride.

He said the container held nearly 4,200kg of the concentrated sweetener and around 17,800kg of poly aluminium chloride.

Customs earlier seized nearly 100 tonnes of the banned sweetener in two separate consignments on Sept 16 and Oct 28.

According to the NBR release, sodium cyclamate is an artificial sweetener 30 to 50 times sweeter than regular sugar. Some unscrupulous businesses use it in place of sugar in sweets, bakery products, ice-cream, beverages, juices, condensed milk and even baby food.

Foods made with the substance pose “serious health risks”, potentially causing cancer and severe kidney and liver diseases. Due to its threat to public health, the Import Policy Order 2021–2024 classifies the sweetener as prohibited.