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Milk food importers in quandary
View(s):Importers and traders of milk-based products have been left in the lurch as no follow-up action has been taken by the health ministry after it temporarily suspended sale of all such products a month ago. An importer who spoke to Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity said that they had not been given any indication on whether or not they could put their products in the market again.
“We have been told by the health ministry that they will go by Medical Research Institute (MRI) report. But the report is not ready yet and the health ministry is not allowing us to sell our products either. It has been four weeks and we have still not got decision.
The tests take only five to seven days to complete. If the MRI did not have the capacity to do the tests they should have informed us and we would have paid to get it done through laboratories outside the country” he said.
Meanwhile Dr. Anil Samaranayeake, director MRI said they had the capacity to carry out the tests –despite the number number of items to be tested. He added they had in fact conducted tests on part of the items and the reports had been handed over to the Ministry. “Most reports have been handed over to the ministry” he said. “The test is not very complicated and products that were submitted early were tested while others remained to be tested.
“When a product tests negative, it takes long to confirm” he said, “and most products have tested negative to the bacteria it is tested for” Dr. Samaranayake said.
The Chamber of Commerce (CC) too has written to the ministry claiming the generic ban on sale of milk- based products was unreasonable as clostridium Botulinum contaminated whey protein was produced in a single factory in New Zealand and was traceable.
Stating that the said problem does not affect the country at all, the CC said whey protein is a natural component extracted from natural milk widely used in many milk-based products. Thus, the CC has also expressed concern over the mass recall stating that it could negatively affect the stake holders.
Importers insisted the ministry had not responded to any communication, and was insisting stakeholders provide lettersfrom embassies of the product’s origin confirming the products were free of contamination .
“However that is not the duty of the embassy. We have submitted letters from the Chambers of Commerce of the countries concerned, but to no avqail”. Ministry officials were not available for comment.
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