We dare you to walk into the kitchens of your neighbourhood eating houses – the type of place from which you frequently pick up kottu, rotti, hoppers, fried rice, etc. It is most likely that the filthy conditions you will see will convince you never to buy food from there again.
Sri Lanka’s damning lack of standards in food safety and hygiene is a huge issue that authorities have so far ignored. But it’s an issue that costs the economy tens of millions of rupees every day, as people fall sick and are unable to report to work, afflicted with everything from coughs and colds to flu, diarrhoea, and even more deadly diseases. This issue also directly affects the tourism industry – both domestic and foreign.
Despite the heightened sense of health due to the Covid pandemic, there is little evidence that standards of food safety and hygiene have improved in Sri Lanka.
Paradoxically, a news item about adulterated cooking oil will cause Sri Lankans to panic and avoid such items entirely, whilst ignoring the fact that they are far more likely to fall sick due to unhealthy practices in their neighbourhood eating houses.
With public confidence in existing authorities such as the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) having been eroded by recent events, it is time for a food standards authority.
Global situation
Unsafe foods containing dangerous bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances are responsible for over 200 diseases, from diarrhoea to cancer.
It is estimated that around six hundred million – nearly one in 10 people around the world – fall sick following the consumption of contaminated food, and about 420,000 die annually.
The burden of foodborne disease for children under five years of age is 40%, with 125,000 deaths annually.
The most common diseases caused by the intake of infected foods are diarrhoeal diseases, causing 550 million people to get sick and 230,000 deaths each year (Source: World Health Organisation [WHO], 2020).
The rapid growth of the food industry, urbanisation, increased mobility of people, as well as increasing populations, have received considerable attention. In recent years, numerous small food stores and retail food stores have been launched, and inadequate food safety in these facilities contributes significantly to the burden of foodborne diseases to be addressed as food systems develop. Effective quality control systems are also required in order to comply with export market requirements for fresh foods, such as fish, fruit, and vegetables. There has been increasing concern in Sri Lanka that foods are contaminated by pesticides, toxic heavy metals, mycotoxins, and other chemical substances.
Food safety refers to all the dangers that can harm food’s health, whether chronic or acute. Do we need to compromise it? We are more prone to foodborne illness than others, as Sri Lankans do not have any consumer rights. Food quality refers to all the characteristics which affect the consumer value of a product. It includes adverse features, such as spoilage, dirt contamination, discolouration, and odour; and good attributes, such as the food’s origin, colour, flavour, texture, and processing method. This difference in the nature and content of the food control system that most suitably meets predetermined national goals has implications on public policies.
In the end, food safety is concerned with the phase of consumption in which the existence and level of food hazards are of great concern. Observance of rigorous food chain control procedures is essential because food safety risks can arise at every stage of the food chain. Thus, it is the responsibility of all parties involved in the food chain to ensure food safety.
Why the PHI system doesn’t work
In Sri Lanka, food safety is an area under the responsibility of the local government and public health inspectors (PHIs). While the country’s PHIs have done a remarkable job in battling the Covid pandemic, where food safety is concerned, many of them have reputations as extremely corrupt officials who need to be bribed in order to allow the operation of any type of eating house. This, in turn, results in the operators of eating houses behaving with scant regard for food safety, as they are certain that the PHIs will not move against them.
Another issue is that the public rarely complains to PHIs with regard to food safety matters, as the public themselves generally turn a blind eye. Thus, it isn’t that PHIs don’t take action, but rather that they are not obliged to take action due to a lack of complaints.
Need for a food standards authority
From diarrhoea to cancer, Sri Lanka has a problem with food safety and a clear lack of public confidence in institutions that are expected to maintain standards. It is time for an umbrella organisation with sweeping powers, created just for the purpose of maintaining food safety and hygiene along the entire food supply chain, which would have authority from field production to consumption; from farmers to five-star hotels.
Food safety system
There are numerous factors in the design of a food safety system, as shown in Fig. 1. In the first place, minimum hygiene standards are to be established under legislation and regulations, food producers need to implement food safety measures and procedures, and official bodies must supervise, inspect, and confirm that food industry companies operate in accordance with the applicable regulations. The global contamination of food, from production to consumption, causes food toxins that threaten public health globally.
Food safety
Food is the fundamental building block of life, yet in some situations it can pose a threat and harm human health. Many people all over the world get ill with the food they eat. These diseases may arise from dangerous microorganisms and are known as foodborne diseases.
When combined with bacteria, mould, viruses, parasites, and chemical toxins, food may become harmful to human health or even fatal. It is therefore essential to provide a safe food supply to consumers. What are the factors that contribute to the possible threat posed by food products?
- Inappropriate farming practices
- Poor hygiene at all stages of the dietary chain
- Lack of preventive checks during food preparation and processing
- Improper use of chemical materials, contaminated raw materials, and food
- Water
- Inappropriate storage
Personal hygiene of food handlers
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-confirmed study has found that 81 foodborne infections were caused by food contaminated by workers.
The processing stage of food is one of the major stages in the food chain, and those who carry out the tasks at this stage are responsible for preventing toxic effects on food. Healthy individuals who have no diseases should be part of food processing personnel and regular check-ups should be conducted on them. As well as being healthy, employees must take special care of their personal hygiene and conduct themselves properly when handling food.
Furthermore, many studies have shown that food manufacturing workers have not taken sufficient care when washing their hands properly and using safe clothing (e.g. gloves, bonnet, etc.)
The situations when workers should wash their hands are summarised in Fig. 4.
Food standards
A preventive system to protect consumers against foodborne diseases is the fundamental approach to the ISO 22000 standard. This standard controls all food chain processes, including infrastructure, employees, and equipment. The implementations of the Food Safety Management System include production control, product management, control of equipment, maintenance, general practices of the health system, employees and visitor hygiene, transport, storage, product information, training, supplier selection and evaluation, communication, and other similar issues in business establishments.
Some local standards include: the Sri Lanka standard for manufacturing of food production (this standard recommends a code of practice on hygiene for food processing), Food Act No. 26 of 1980 (Sri Lankan Parliament, 1980) and its 1991 amendments (the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka Gazette, 1991). We could implement an effective national food control system, and good practices for food management such as food safety campaigns and harmonisation of food rules in countries like the South Asian Regional Co-operation Association (SAARC).
Way forward
- Provision of product information, training, and consumer awareness programmes
- Investment on laboratories and R&D (research and development)
- Improvement on inspections, regular visits, monthly and/or quarterly audits
- Innovation on product packaging, storing, and handling
- Set up a food safety authority with wide powers to inspect food producers, suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and eating houses
- Set up a transparent system of licensing and inspection, whereby the public can go online and check on the food safety record of any organisation
- Set up a system of issuing warnings leading to suspension of operations of eating houses and all food-related organisations
- Provide a proper system of educating all owners and employees of food-related organisations
- Create greater public awareness on food safety
- Create a hotline for the public to make complaints with regard to food safety matters