Safety sticker for bottled water duplicates Sri Lanka standardisation process
View(s):A Government move to order a compulsory safety sticker on bottled water has raised issues of duplication in certifying the quality of bottled water.
Even though Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando decided on Wednesday to confine the safety sticker measure only for water issued by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), compared to seven other items earlier, the ‘water’ sticker triggered the issue of duplication.
At present, a compulsory water quality certification is required from the Sri Lankan Standards Institute (SLSI) and every item of bottle water must carry the SLS mark.
“There is no need for another quality standard situation,” a senior SLSI official said, adding that this new quality certificate would result in the bottle costing more to the consumer.
Earlier the CAA had planned to enforce the safety sticker on bottled water, soft drinks, branded edible oil, toothpaste, all types of soap, shampoo, paint, and electrical items (switches, sockets, circuit breakers) on Minister Fernando’s directive.But that had to be suspended after Harsha de Silva, UNP MP raised the issue in Parliament and secured an assurance from Mr. Fernando. The latter said he would delay implementation of this scheme by five or 10 years, but planned to go ahead with bottled water.