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Imported white sugar quality not monitored by SLSI
Loophole opens for substandard imports of other items
Imported white sugar is not among the numerous food items which undergo stringent inspection by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), allowing a loophole for substandard products to be brought into the country.
While imported brown sugar is among the 33 food items the SLSI is mandated to check under the Compulsory Import Inspection Scheme, the Agriculture Ministry recently charged that harmful substances have been found in white sugar imported from Brazil.In a major disclosure, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told the Sunday Times that random tests by his ministry had found a high level of toxic cadmium in the sugar.
The ministry was also conducting tests to determine whether the sugar contained arsenic as well, Additional Secretary Dr. D.B.T. Wijeratne confirmed, explaining that random tests on a few other food items were also being carried out, after which the findings would be verified by testing at an accredited laboratory abroad.
Assuring that the SLSI would be able to check imported white sugar if mandated under the Compulsory Import Inspection Scheme, Senior Deputy Director M.I.S. Jayasekera of SLSI’s Quality Assurance Division, when contacted by the Sunday Times said currently 103 consumer items, including 33 food items, are checked by them at the port for clearance. Brown sugar is tested and no contamination has been found so far.
Referring to canned fish, she explained that sensory evaluation such as checks on odour, texture, flavour, appearance, drain mass and the presence of heavy metals is carried out on these imports.
“We even check whether the cans are bloated as this would be an indication of trouble,” she said, pointing out that the SLSI was extra careful when there were issues about the country of origin of canned fish in 2009 as well as after the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan was damaged in 2011 by a tsunami and sea water was used to clean it out.
The issue in 2009 had been that some companies in China and Thailand were importing fish from elsewhere and canning them and exporting them without indicating the country of origin clearly. In 2011, the issue was nuclear waste contamination of the sea around Japan which made any canned fish imported from there questionable, it is learnt.
The items under the Compulsory Import Inspection Scheme are checked for conformity with the Sri Lanka Standard set for them, she said. Explaining the procedure that an importer of any of these items should follow, Mrs. Jayasekera said when a consignment comes into Sri Lanka, the importer should notify the SLSI before seeking Customs clearance.
The importer is required to complete the ‘Notification Form – Import Inspection Scheme Sri Lanka Standards Institution’ which has details such as the country of origin etc., it is learnt. The Compulsory Import Inspection Scheme stemming from Gazette 1447/28 of June 1, 2006 under the Imports and Exports Control Act No.1 of 1969, broadly categorize consignments of designated items as:
- Consignments accompanied with acceptable conformity certificates from an overseas accredited laboratory, an inspection agency, any other government institution registered with the SLSI or any overseas manufacturer registered with the SLSI.
- Consignments accompanied with a conformity certificate from the National Standards Body of the exporting country. Conformity certificate shall be issued in accordance with the relevant Sri Lanka Standards Specification.
- Consignment imported from a manufacturing plant registered with the SLSI. A conformity certificate should accompany each and every consignment from the manufacturing plant.
- Consignments of products carrying the ‘Product Certification Mark’ of the National Standards Body of any country where the standard used for said certification is compatible with the corresponding Sri Lanka Standard Specification.
- Consignments which do not fall under any of the above categories.
Imported consignments of designated items which fall under the last category, according to her, are compulsorily subjected to sampling and testing. The consignments are not released until the test reports are clear.
“All the documents are checked. The lab reports should come from accredited laboratories or government institutions,” she reiterated, pointing out that only then will the SLSI recommend to the Customs to release the consignment.
Random checks are also carried out on a 1:5 ratio on consignments to verify the accuracy of conformity certificates submitted by the importer, said Mrs. Jayasekera, adding that if the consignment does not come up to Sri Lankan standards it would not be allowed in, but re-exported.
Meanwhile, she urged the strengthening of SLSI laboratory facilities as well as staff, explaining that some sophisticated testing for traces of heavy metals costs a lot.
SLSI checked NZ milk products for DCD: Offcial
When the controversy over dicyandiamide (DCD) in New Zealand dairy products kept hitting the headlines elsewhere in the world, the SLSI did check milk imports, the Sunday Times learns.
The SLSI sent three samples of milk for testing to ALS Technichem, an accredited laboratory in Malaysia on March 8 and the results indicated ‘not detected’ which meant less than 0.1mg per kg of DCD in these samples, Deputy Director M.I.S. Jayasekera said.
When asked, she confirmed that two officials from the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries met SLSI officials on April 30 to discuss various matters including their dairy exports to Sri Lanka.
They explained that NZ has halted the use of DCD in their pastures and the NZ Government takes responsibility for dairy products. Although their conformity certificates would clearly state that the dairy products are free of DCD, the SLSI will continue to test for verification, it is understood.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times learns that in 2008 an item called “tea whitener” also did not fall within the 33 food items checked by the SLSI, which was another loophole that may have been exploited by importers. “We then revised the standards to address this issue,” Mrs. Jayasekera added.
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