Consumer rights agency finds 'no clear evidence' Sultan's Dine used fake mutton

Social media blew up when a customer alleged that a mutton dish they ordered from the restaurant contained meat from another animal

The National Consumer Rights Directorate has held a hearing on a customer’s claim that the Sultan’s Dine restaurant gave them the meat of another animal in a mutton dish.

Following the hearing, the agency recommended that Sultan’s Dine be cleared of the allegation as ‘no definitive proof was found’ of an offence, it said in a written report.

However, the NCRD did not provide a clear explanation of exactly what meat was provided to the customer or what the exact circumstances of the incident were.

“We don’t have a sample. We tried to get in touch with the customer who posted about the incident, but we couldn’t track them down. If we were able to get a sample, we could identify the meat. If you take a sample to the Food Safety Authority, they will test it and let you know what it is," AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general of the agency, said at a media briefing on Monday.

An investigation was conducted at the Gulshan-2 branch of the Sultan’s Dine restaurant from 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm on Mar 9, according to the NCRD’s report. The general manager and assistant general manager of the restaurant chain and the manager of the branch attended the hearing on Monday to give oral and written statements on behalf of Sultan’s Dine. Both the report and the testimony were presented at the hearing.

It was revealed that the Sultan’s Dine restaurant gets its meat supply from a vendor called Ma-Babar Doa Gosto Bitan in Kaptan Bazar. A representative of Sultan’s Dine, which sells mutton biryani, is sometimes present when the animal is butchered for the order. The vendor is responsible for bringing the meat to the restaurant.

In testimony, the Sultan’s Dine manager said that he had procured 150 kg of mutton on Mar 9, but the vendor said they only supplied 125 kg.

Regarding the small bones found in the dish, which started the controversy, Sultan’s Dine said they use mutton from animals weighing 7 kg to 9 kg, which means the bones are smaller as well.

However, the mobile phone number from which the complaint was filed against Sultan’s Dine was switched off and none of those who made the initial claims were present for the hearing.