News
Legislation coming to ensure food safety
With the growing incidence of food safety issues, the Government is to introduce new legislation to ensure food safety and regulate the flow of imported food items including milk powder
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Act will soon be amended for this purpose and stringent action taken against unethical advertising, labelling and misleading marketing campaigns of food, beverage and milk powder companies.
This was disclosed by the CAA Chairman Rumy Marzook during a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of Thunhela National Movement headed by the Ven. Omare Kassapa Thera, General Secretary of the movement and Presidential Advisor to the Education Ministry.
They handed over a memorandum to Mr. Marzook requesting him to take stern action against milk powder companies for misleading consumers through unethical advertising. The Ven. Kassapa Thera said that the CAA Chairman told them that the new amendment to the Act will provide provision for them to take necessary action.
According to the memorandum, unethical, deceptive, and misleading food advertisements are being broadcast over the electronic media and published in the printed media. Besides, posters and billboards, hoardings are displayed all over the island breaching the laws.
The food authorities and the entire enforcement section have not taken stern action to control such unlawful activities in an effective and forceful manner.
Innocent consumers are taken for a ride by unscrupulous traders preventing them from making an informed choice, the memorandum said.
Multinational companies lavishly spend millions of rupees on their advertising campaigns. As a result of massive advertising campaigns of these companies, local firms which carry on the trade in a lawful manner abiding by all laws and ethical marketing are being denied fair competition.
Citing examples relating to unsafe food imports and quality risks, the memorandum noted that sale of DCD contaminated milk powder in various countries including Sri Lanka and marketing of whey protein contaminated with Botulism were the recent incidents of substandard food entering the market.
The Ven. Kassapa Thera has pledged to form a powerful Consumer Activists’ Group which is capable of pressurising the enforcement authorities and the trade, if the CAA fails to take stern action against these companies even after legalising the amendments to the Act.