• In keeping with WHO/WFP guidelines 

The Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited Company said that the manufacturing of the Thriposha nutritional supplement for children is to be resumed according to standards followed by international organisations, since the company received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the request made to revise the aflatoxins level.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (5) to query about the alleged halt of Thriposha manufacturing, the Thriposha Company’s Chairman Deepthi Kularathna said that only the manufacturing of the Thriposha supplement given to children between six months and three years was halted for some time, as otherwise there was no halt in the manufacturing of other Thriposha variants given to lactating and pregnant women.

Speaking further, he said that the manufacturing of the aforementioned Thriposha variant came to a standstill following an issue with its aflatoxins level. He also said that following the issue being raised, the Director General of Health Services had asked the company to halt the manufacturing of the Thriposha given for children between six months and three years.

“Thriposha manufacturing has not been halted as it was reported. But we had to stop manufacturing only one variant due to some issues in its aflatoxins level. Recently, we received cabinet approval for the request that we made to manufacture Thriposha according to standards prescribed by international institutions. Accordingly, we will be starting to manufacture the particular Thriposha variant as soon as possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said last week that the Government will resume providing the Thriposha supplement from this week, after amending the permissible level of aflatoxins in its ingredients. He also said that the company was unable to supply the necessary Thriposha due to a lack of stocks that met the permissible aflatoxins level. “Aflatoxins should be less than one part to a billion and that was what we allowed earlier. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) allow 10 parts to a billion,” he said. Recently, the Cabinet approved the permissible level of aflatoxins in food supplements to five parts per billion (ppb) for type B1 and a level of 10 ppb in total.

Thriposha is provided under the Maternal and Child Health Programme implemented by the Ministry of Health as a supplementary food for children with a low nutritional level from six months to three years of age, and as an additional nutrient for pregnant and lactating women.