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Cancer causing coconut oil: Public fear probe on slippery slope
The controversial coconut oil cargo being re-exported to the country of origin. Pic by Indika Handuwala
As Customs, police and health inspectors escalated investigations into whether toxic coconut oil has reached the market, the government defended itself against public complaints that importers who might have broken the law in sending out the oil for sale were not being punished.
Customs Deputy Director Sudattha Silva said the agency was carrying out separate investigations into whether two coconut oil importers had distributed imported coconut oil containing aflatoxin.
“There are many consignments of oil at the warehouses, so we need to really confirm whether these containers [found outside the warehouses] are the same ones that Customs instructed be held back until the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and Food Control Administration Unit gave their reports” he said.
He said officials are also trying to find out whether the volume of oil in the two containers had changed.
“There is no specification on where the private storage areas are or how the coconut oil is held. The condition is that the coconut oil could not be send to the consumers. That’s why we are trying to confirm whether the coconut oil held back has been found in the market,” Mr. Silva said.
He said on Monday, Customs had monitored the re-export of six containers of aflatoxin-contaminated coconut oil imported by one company.
The company had to bear the re-export costs as well as the loss of fees paid to the government, he said.
Public Health Inspectors said they were collecting oil samples from the market and sending them to the Government Analyst.
PHI Union Secretary Mahendra Balasooriya said his members have repeatedly urged the government to equip Health Ministry-operated laboratories, which have legal power to take action against offenders, with equipment, chemicals and human resources to carry out such testing.
Despite fears of contaminated coconut oil being released to the market, this coconut oil retail trader having a brisk business for Avurudu. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
The Attorney-General has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department into action on the matter and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is carrying out a separate investigation to find whether coconut oil containing aflatoxin has hit the market.
The State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, said he had received reports on 109 random coconut oil samples sent by the CAA to the Coconut Development Authority’s laboratories, and none of the samples contained aflatoxin.
He said action could not be taken against importers unless it was proved that tainted coconut oil they had been ordered to hold in their warehouses had reached the market.
Consumers said they were concerned that the Government Analyst’s reports were taking a long time to come while the Coconut Development Authority’s reports were issued speedily.