By Yumiko Perera
In the wake of harrowing evidence being found concerning carcinogens known as aflatoxins being detected in imported coconut oil, the topic of food safety has come back into the limelight. Not long after the coconut oil issue had made headlines, a large stock of dhal unsuitable for consumption, which had also contained aflatoxins, was discovered in a co-operative food store in Weligama during an inspection conducted at the premises.
Although this stock had later been destroyed under the guidance of the Chief Public Health Inspector (PHI) of Weligama, it goes without saying that incidents such as this cast doubt on the quality of food the public is consuming.
Meanwhile, multi-stakeholder discussions are underway to make sure all food items and supplementary food items would be subjected to a quality check before being released to the market.
The Sunday Morning reached out to some individuals to seek their opinions on the matter.
Even quality-certified foods not safe here
Chamodha Atukorala, 28, graduate research assistant
I don’t think the food items we consume are safe at all, even if its quality is certified. The public should boycott the food coming from multinational organisations and start consuming local products. Local products should be monitored for quality from the initial processes to when the final product is completed, so as to ensure strict policy regulations on the quality control aspects of food are adhered to.
From the basic to the most luxurious food available in the market, Sri Lankans are fed poison. Purchased foods are not at all safe in raw or cooked form and are extremely hazardous to the health. The effect is magnified with unhealthy lifestyles.
It’s time that the Government and responsible agencies take charge of the production of safe and quality food domestically. Simultaneously, local producers should start being safety-conscious rather than being profit-conscious. The quality standards for imported food items should be aligned alongside strict legal measures and the standards institutions should be made stronger to be held accountable for any breach. Methodical measures should be taken to ensure the inclusion of proper information on food packaging as well.
On the other end, the consumers should also educate themselves. They should be mindful about their purchases and should boycott any brand which doesn’t adhere to the necessary standards.
Need more local opportunities to mass produce food
Ashwini Chandrapala, 28, creative designer
This is not the first time that the quality of imported food products in the local market came into question. In the past, there had been incidents involving milk powder and various other products. But the issue here, as I see it, is the question of whether we have sufficiently addressed those issues to prevent them from repeating. The fortunate people who can make homemade coconut oil or have access to it can overcome this issue, but the majority of the people who don’t have that luxury are out of options.
Considering past events and the information we have learned about the effects of various contaminated food products, the authorities should take stringent legal action against the offenders and ensure there are more opportunities to mass produce oil and dhal, and also other commodities that we have the capacity to produce but don’t. This way, we might overcome this situation.
People losing faith in the authorities
Sandunika Dissanayake, 27, software engineer
Except for the food items we buy from small stores and homemade food, I think other food items we purchase at markets are mostly unsafe. The only way I feel the public can overcome this is through supporting producers of organic products and homemade foods, by purchasing from small businesses, and conducting awareness sessions. With that being said, if the authorities can’t ensure the quality of the food that goes on shelves, the Government needs to rethink their policies.
From what we have seen so far, however, the way the authorities have approached this issue has been quite unsatisfactory. They don’t seem to be taking things seriously, which is very alarming, causing people to lose faith in the authorities.
Not the first time this has happened
Pramodya Abeywickrama, 28, Attorney-at-Law
We rely on the Government to ensure the safety of the food items we purchase. People assume the products on the shelves of supermarkets or in wholesale shops are safe for consumption, as they believe such products come to the market after being tested for compliance with the food safety laws by the Government. By looking at recent events, however, it is quite evident that the Government does not have the best interest of the public’s health or safety in mind.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened, and it may not be the last time either, unless strict action is being taken. The health of the people should not be put at risk for monetary purposes. The relevant authorities should take full responsibility for letting harmful food products enter and circulate within the market.
We should seek alternatives
Wasantha Mapatuna, 34, senior research analyst
We have no idea if the food we consume is 100% safe. As individual buyers, I don’t think there is much we can do on this matter either. However, what the public can do is use alternatives such as products from small-scale farmers who use safe and healthy farming practices. The least the Government could do is to implement proper controls and checking processes that would determine the quality of the food that reaches the market.
This is a very serious issue that concerns the health and wellbeing of the public, and I feel that this needs to be addressed promptly, which the authorities have failed to do so far.
Authorities need to realise they are dealing with our lives
Vishnu Raj, 33, customer service executive
Given the recent incidents, I don’t think the food we consume is 100% safe, and unfortunately, there isn’t much the public can do about it either. We have to fulfil our daily needs. Not everybody can grow healthy food in their backyards. We rely on the authorities to ensure the safety of the food items we consume, but they don’t even seem to be doing the bare minimum to ensure food safety.
The public also needs to be made aware of the current issue at hand, and most importantly, the authorities need to ensure the safety of the food items that are being released to the market. They need to understand that they are dealing with the lives of the people of the country.
Issue should be taken very seriously
Dilangani Perera, 67, retired teacher
Most of the food items we use are not safe. While the public can limit the consumption of junk food, which uses coconut oil and such, the authorities on the other hand have a bigger responsibility when it comes to ensuring the quality of the food items that are being made available in the market.
I feel this is something to be taken very seriously because this is not the first time it has happened in our country, nor is it the first time we have heard of an incident like this. The authorities need to take complete responsibility and understand that they cannot and should not toy with the lives of the people.
How safe are the people in this country?
Tiroshani Gamage, 35, human resources manager
People rely on the Government to provide them with food items that are up to standard. While quality checks must be conducted regularly, with the recent incident of coconut oil, the faith people have had in the authorities has been lost. The authorities need to stop turning a blind eye to issues like this. If the same people that are supposed to be protecting the people of the country end up doing things like this, how safe are the people in this country?
They need to take responsibility for incidents such as this, as the health and the wellbeing of the people are at stake here.
Chamodha Atukorala, 28, graduate research assistant
I don’t think the food items we consume are safe at all, even if its quality is certified. The public should boycott the food coming from multinational organisations and start consuming local products. Local products should be monitored for quality from the initial processes to when the final product is completed, so as to ensure strict policy regulations on the quality control aspects of food are adhered to.
From the basic to the most luxurious food available in the market, Sri Lankans are fed poison. Purchased foods are not at all safe in raw or cooked form and are extremely hazardous to the health. The effect is magnified with unhealthy lifestyles.
It’s time that the Government and responsible agencies take charge of the production of safe and quality food domestically. Simultaneously, local producers should start being safety-conscious rather than being profit-conscious. The quality standards for imported food items should be aligned alongside strict legal measures and the standards institutions should be made stronger to be held accountable for any breach. Methodical measures should be taken to ensure the inclusion of proper information on food packaging as well.
On the other end, the consumers should also educate themselves. They should be mindful about their purchases and should boycott any brand which doesn’t adhere to the necessary standards.
Need more local opportunities to mass produce food
Ashwini Chandrapala, 28, creative designer
This is not the first time that the quality of imported food products in the local market came into question. In the past, there had been incidents involving milk powder and various other products. But the issue here, as I see it, is the question of whether we have sufficiently addressed those issues to prevent them from repeating. The fortunate people who can make homemade coconut oil or have access to it can overcome this issue, but the majority of the people who don’t have that luxury are out of options.
Considering past events and the information we have learned about the effects of various contaminated food products, the authorities should take stringent legal action against the offenders and ensure there are more opportunities to mass produce oil and dhal, and also other commodities that we have the capacity to produce but don’t. This way, we might overcome this situation.
People losing faith in the authorities
Sandunika Dissanayake, 27, software engineer
Except for the food items we buy from small stores and homemade food, I think other food items we purchase at markets are mostly unsafe. The only way I feel the public can overcome this is through supporting producers of organic products and homemade foods, by purchasing from small businesses, and conducting awareness sessions. With that being said, if the authorities can’t ensure the quality of the food that goes on shelves, the Government needs to rethink their policies.
From what we have seen so far, however, the way the authorities have approached this issue has been quite unsatisfactory. They don’t seem to be taking things seriously, which is very alarming, causing people to lose faith in the authorities.
Not the first time this has happened
Pramodya Abeywickrama, 28, Attorney-at-Law
We rely on the Government to ensure the safety of the food items we purchase. People assume the products on the shelves of supermarkets or in wholesale shops are safe for consumption, as they believe such products come to the market after being tested for compliance with the food safety laws by the Government. By looking at recent events, however, it is quite evident that the Government does not have the best interest of the public’s health or safety in mind.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened, and it may not be the last time either, unless strict action is being taken. The health of the people should not be put at risk for monetary purposes. The relevant authorities should take full responsibility for letting harmful food products enter and circulate within the market.
We should seek alternatives
Wasantha Mapatuna, 34, senior research analyst
We have no idea if the food we consume is 100% safe. As individual buyers, I don’t think there is much we can do on this matter either. However, what the public can do is use alternatives such as products from small-scale farmers who use safe and healthy farming practices. The least the Government could do is to implement proper controls and checking processes that would determine the quality of the food that reaches the market.
This is a very serious issue that concerns the health and wellbeing of the public, and I feel that this needs to be addressed promptly, which the authorities have failed to do so far.
Authorities need to realise they are dealing with our lives
Vishnu Raj, 33, customer service executive
Given the recent incidents, I don’t think the food we consume is 100% safe, and unfortunately, there isn’t much the public can do about it either. We have to fulfil our daily needs. Not everybody can grow healthy food in their backyards. We rely on the authorities to ensure the safety of the food items we consume, but they don’t even seem to be doing the bare minimum to ensure food safety.
The public also needs to be made aware of the current issue at hand, and most importantly, the authorities need to ensure the safety of the food items that are being released to the market. They need to understand that they are dealing with the lives of the people of the country.
Issue should be taken very seriously
Dilangani Perera, 67, retired teacher
Most of the food items we use are not safe. While the public can limit the consumption of junk food, which uses coconut oil and such, the authorities on the other hand have a bigger responsibility when it comes to ensuring the quality of the food items that are being made available in the market.
I feel this is something to be taken very seriously because this is not the first time it has happened in our country, nor is it the first time we have heard of an incident like this. The authorities need to take complete responsibility and understand that they cannot and should not toy with the lives of the people.
How safe are the people in this country?
Tiroshani Gamage, 35, human resources manager
People rely on the Government to provide them with food items that are up to standard. While quality checks must be conducted regularly, with the recent incident of coconut oil, the faith people have had in the authorities has been lost. The authorities need to stop turning a blind eye to issues like this. If the same people that are supposed to be protecting the people of the country end up doing things like this, how safe are the people in this country?
They need to take responsibility for incidents such as this, as the health and the wellbeing of the people are at stake here.