The Health Ministry is at present discussing the possibilities of establishing a stronger mechanism to ensure food safety, Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni said. 

Fielding questions from The Daily Morning when contacted yesterday (9), he noted that although there are several Ministries and institutions set up to ensure food security in the Island, the available establishments and authorities to ensure food safety are almost negligible, and therefore, the technical knowledge and rules and regulations that are available to ensure food safety are also minimal. 

“Although there is some awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity, awareness about certain harmful substances such as aflatoxins, chemicals found in fertilisers, heavy metals and microplastics remains limited. The public either overlooks them or are largely unaware of the harmful impact of these substances on health. Therefore, there should be a proper system to monitor the use and presence of such substances”. 

He noted that there is a pressing need for a proper data system to monitor and increase the traceability of such chemicals till the end user. In order to achieve this, the Ministry is looking at the possibility of establishing an authority like the National Medicines Regulatory Authority to regulate and ensure the safety of the food that is available in the market. 

Responding to further questions, he said that several promotional programmes are ongoing to encourage healthy food habits and healthy lifestyles. Measures have been taken to introduce programmes in school canteens and even by encouraging students to bring nutritious and healthy food to school. 

Already, there are mechanisms in places to monitor the sugar content in food such as the traffic light system, increased taxes on sugar, etc. But, those alone are inadequate as the large amount of carbohydrates consumed by Sri Lankans also paves the way for NCDs. Therefore, what needs to be promoted is a well balanced diet which is also safe for consumption, he noted.