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Know your 'food
print' This brings
up the question; How safe is our food? Yoghurt is
just one of the many food products we, the unsuspecting consumers
take home day after day. Sausages, soft drinks, condiments, even
bread are all lacking in quality guarantees but nevertheless, the
public have no option but to buy and consume them. As parents, we
even give our young children some of these products, little aware
of the dangers that may be lurking in them. Food poisoning
is just one of the risks. What of the unknown additives, carcinogenic
colourings and even banned substances they may contain? Though Sri
Lanka's laws, in this case the Food Act No. 26 of 1980 and the Amendment
Act No. 20 of 1991 specify that all food manufacturers should obtain
a licence before they produce any food for public consumption, how
effective is the system in safeguarding the consumer? What guarantee
do we have that the ingredients listed on the label are in fact
what is contained in the product? And whether those euphemistically
termed 'permitted food colourings and preservatives' we find in
a range of products from sweets to ice-cream are safe? 'Compared to
other Asian countries we are not too backward with regard to food
laws, but there is always room for improvement," says S. Nagiah,
Asst. Director, Food Control Administration of the Health Ministry. Any person
seeking to manufacture any item of food makes an application to
his local authority, either the Municipal Council, the Urban Council
or the Pradeshiya Sabha. The application is referred to the Medical
Officer of Health for recommendation, who in turn, details a health
inspector to visit the premises and check if the manufacturing plant
meets the required standards of hygiene. Once they are satisfied,
the licence is issued. If there are any shortcomings, the applicant
would be duly informed and asked to rectify these in order to obtain
the licence. However, this
is not the most satisfactory system, concedes Mr. Nagiah, because
at the moment local authorities are more interested in the revenue
they would obtain from a licence rather than ensuring the consumers'
safety. Licences have to be renewed annually and the rates vary
from product to product with some costing as little as Rs. 100.
An unknown
quantity as far as the Health Ministry is concerned is the BOI projects
which operate under independent guidelines. What about
quality and standards? There is no mandatory quality check that
all food products must undergo before they reach the shelves. "Only
20 items among them canned fish, condensed milk, fruit squashes,
syrups and cordials, fruit cordials, and ready to serve fruit drinks
have to seek compulsory certification, that is the Sri Lanka Standards
(SLS) mark. The SLS mark for others, is purely voluntary,"
said Srilal de Silva, Deputy Director General of the Sri Lanka Standards
Institution. But how many
look for the SLS mark before purchasing that attractively bottled
or packeted product? " Occasionally, I might think about it,
but usually my decision is based on the price," says housewife
Mrs. P. Seneviratne. " My children
are the ones who often decide what we buy and their choices are
heavily influenced by the ads they see on TV and the attractive
packaging. If some promotion is going on and free stickers are being
given, they pressure me to buy the product," says Mrs. K. Kuruppu,
a mother of three. "But the
SLS mark is catching on as consumers are becoming more aware of
quality standards," insists Mr. de Silva, adding that 500 permits,
including for a certain brand of bread, have been issued. "The SLS
mark has been in operation since 1983 and is issued when a product
meets our quality requirements. Those carrying the SLS mark are
monitored on a quarterly basis and samples are taken from the production
line and from the shelves so consumers can be sure of quality." However, a
large number of products which apply for the SLS mark, do not make
the grade but still remain in easy reach of the consumer. The other
drawback is that the SLS guarantee is withdrawn if the membership
fee is not paid. The Sri Lanka
Standards Institution is also part of a high-powered official committee
whose task is to look into all aspects of production, imports, transport,
sale and storage of food products etc. "The National Food Advisory
Committee comprises high-level officials, headed by the Director
General of Health Services. It has representation from industry,
commerce, even consumer bodies like the Housewives' Association
and meets once a month. We take up public complaints, labelling
requirements etc and give directives to the local authorities on
food safety," says Colombo's Chief Medical Officer of Health
Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam. "Recently
having received complaints that there was potassium bromide, a banned
chemical in wheat flour being used for bread, we took 25 samples
from various points and sent them for testing. But we found nothing.
However, if there was any violation, we would have prosecuted." But certain
products, like the hugely popular sausages, where there have been
many queries over content, pose a problem, he says. "We don't
have the know-how at present in Sri Lanka to check the quality and
are thinking of sending samples abroad. So far, the only tests we
have been able to do on sausages are for their meat content, by
getting a fat profile done." Sausages should contain between
51 percent to 75 percent of the meat mentioned on the label, that
is chicken, beef or pork and only the balance should be soya, flour
etc. "The meat content, however, has been acceptable,"
he says. "Earlier
we used to receive many complaints about adulteration, particularly
in condiments such as chillie powder and turmeric. But with stringent
sampling and checking, and several prosecutions, that problem seems
to have been dealt with. These products are now quite safe." With time always
a problem, many householders now do their shopping at the 'one-stop'
supermarkets. So how do we know that the wide range we see on display
is up to the mark? " We guarantee
all the products that we sell," said the manager of a leading
supermarket chain. " When any manufacturer wants us to stock
his products, our purchasing committee does a stringent check, even
visiting the point of manufacture, before we accept the product
for sale. If the product
is imported, the required certification must be produced. "There
are many who come but only a few are chosen." Yet, doubts
remain. At present, food products bear no licence or registration number that informs the public of their being manufactured in accordance with the food laws of the country. Isn't it the duty of the state to make it mandatory that all food products are certified by the food/health authorities as being fit for consumption? Otherwise, it's the people's health at stake. Sampled
and released
"Samples are taken and whenever necessary they are analysed.
Then only are they released," assured Mr. Nagiah.
Action route
The MOH will in turn refer it to the PHI who will investigate the
complaint and take action to prosecute the culprit.
"Usually the public does not know what to do in such instances.
They write either to the Internal Trade Department or the Sri Lanka
Standards Institution, who then forward it to us and we send it
to the relevant officers for investigation. But by that time the
90-day period specified by law within which we need to prosecute
the offenders has lapsed," explained Mr. Nagiah. Some MOHs come under the purview of the Health Ministry and others under the relevant local authority. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Shocking
fact: Not one of the many yoghurt brands we see temptingly displayed
on our supermarket shelves bears the SLS mark, the country's premier
seal of quality.
