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Carcinogenic coconut oil consignments: Quality check process to be streamlined

04 Apr 2021

  • Multi-stakeholder talks underway 

  • Customs, CAA to monitor re-export by importers 

  In the wake of consignments of imported coconut oil being found to contain carcinogenic aflatoxins and the ongoing islandwide testing of market samples following allegations of these substandard stocks being released to the market and resultant public fear, multi-stakeholder discussions are underway to put in place a process where all food and supplementary foods are to be subjected to a quality check prior to being released to the market, The Sunday Morning learnt.  Meanwhile, the State Ministry of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection has instructed the Customs and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to monitor the re-exporting of these coconut oil consignments that were imported through private companies, namely, Katana Refineries (Pvt.) Ltd., Ali Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., and Edirisinghe Edible Oil (Pvt.) Ltd., which were found to contain cancer causing aflatoxins, The Sunday Morning further learnt.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection Lasantha Alagiyawanna said: “With the consignments samples returning test results that confirm that there are aflatoxins present in the imported coconut oil now for the third time, we have given instructions to the importers to make arrangements to re-export the batches. The first consignment, belonging to the Katana Refineries (Pvt.) Ltd., will be re-exported within the next three to four days while the Ali Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., Sena Mills Refineries (Pvt.) Ltd., and Edirisinghe Edible Oil (Pvt.) Ltd., too have been instructed to take necessary measures to re-export their consignments in the coming weeks.”  Emphasising that there is the absence of a process followed when importing consumer goods, which has over the past years, allowed several food items deemed unfit for human consumption and some of which contained dangerous carcinogens, to enter the market, Alagiyawanna noted that the State Ministry is at present discussing with about 40 institutions including the Customs, the CAA, the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI), and the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) to put in place a process and mechanism where all food and supplementary foods are to be subjected to a quality check prior to being released to the market.  Meanwhile, responding to the allegations the public had raised that the coconut oil consignments in question had been released to the market, Alagiyawanna noted: “In order to ensure that the consumer rights are protected and to ensure that there are no stocks of adulterated coconut oil circulating in the market, the CAA deployed their field officers to collect five samples each from every district. The 125 samples of coconut oil that we collected from the market were subjected to lab tests and 55 samples had returned results confirming that the coconut oil in the market is fit for consumption. We are however awaiting the results of the rest of the samples.”  In total, testing for the presence of aflatoxins in the imported coconut oil consignments were carried out by three institutions, namely the ITI, the Food Control Administration Unit of the Ministry of Health, and the SLSI.  Further, Alagiyawanna pointed out that this was not the first time Sri Lanka had imported edible oils that were not fit for consumption. Explaining that batches of palm oil imported in 2018, 2019, and 2020 too had been detected to carry carcinogens, he noted that even then, arrangements were made to re-export those batches.  Meanwhile, the State Ministry requested the assistance of the public to help detect any foods and supplementary foods that seem to be unfit for consumption and for members of the public to contact the CAA via the number 1977 to report the same, if they come across any such items.  Moreover, the Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardana announced last week that the CAA will issue a gazette prohibiting the mixing of any edible oils including coconut oil with imported coconut oil.

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