By Gamini Abeywardane
The recent brouhaha about contaminated palm oil and the
harmful effects of aflatoxin became the subject matter of political debate overshadowing
its actual relevance to the health of the people. It also became a platform for
a kind of trade war between local coconut oil manufacturers and palm oil
importers.
Many were talking about the need to punish the culprits and
politics behind it while there was hardly any discussion on finding a permanent
solution to perennial issue of toxic and other harmful content in food and food
ingredients.
It is necessary to punish those who have knowingly imported or
distributed edible oils which are contaminated and harmful to the health of the
people. Yet far more important is to have a stronger legal and institutional
mechanism akin to the Food and Drug Administration in the US to deal with this
issue.
Over the years there has been a lackadaisical attitude
towards the quality of foodstuff sold in this country and the general
perception has been that with right influence one can bypass all the
institutions that are responsible for maintaining the quality standards in this
regard.
Food security is obviously a part of the national security
and this probably may be the best opportunity for the authorities to look at
the issue seriously and to come up with a proper solution.
The issue surfaced through palm oil received country much
attention because of the wide media coverage, but it encompasses a range of
things which includes locally made coconut oil, imported and locally grown
fruits and vegetables, confectionaries, bakery products and many other food
items available in the local market.
Some of these food items are not subjected quality control
while even those requiring Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) may not be always safe for
consumption because of the weaknesses and loopholes in the quality control
certification process.
Therefore it is clear that while more stringent legislation
is necessary; the existing system also has to be strengthened leaving no room
for unscrupulous traders and producers to misuse it through corrupt means.
According to Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) food security exists when all people, at all times, have
physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy
life.
In other words not only should the people have economic
access to sufficient food they should also be safe and nutritious and therefore
if the available food is not safe for consumption there is no food security.
Food safety refers
to routines in the preparation, handling and
storage of food. Safe food
handling practices and procedures should be implemented at every
stage of the food production
life cycle if we are to curb health risks and prevent harm to consumers.
It is a well-known fact that the rules and regulations with
regard to food security are very stringent and effectively administered in the
US, UK, the European Union and other developed countries like Japan while they
are poorly administered in the third world countries.
Now the issue has come to the public domain in a prominent
manner the government should seize the opportunity to lay the foundation for an
effective quality administration system covering all types of food and food
ingredients that are available for sale in the market. Like national security
it’s a subject that cannot be compromised in the face of popular politics.
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