Leading edible oil importer passed away after aflatoxin saga

Nandana Jayasinghe, a leading edible oil (Coconut oil) importer, refinery owner and the owner of Edirisinghe Edible Oil Pvt Ltd, aged 58 has passed away after a brief illness,.

Mr. Jayasinghe, popularly known as “Edirisinghe Mudalali” passed away on Saturday. He had to undergo severe stress and strain since the detection of aflatoxin in one of the consignments of coconut oil imported by his company on March 4, other importers disclosed.

He had to visit the Customs Department, Sri Lanka Standard Institution, Consumer Affairs Authority, Finance Ministry and several other institutions to give statements and make representations on this matter.  

A well-known edible oil importer told Times Online that the wide media exposure given to this issue specially by some TV stations compelled Mr. Edirisinghe to personally make representations to clear the image of his company as the presence of aflatoxins produced by fungi in his containers was not his fault.

Customs has ordered to reship his consignment after checking whether the same quantity is there when the consignment arrived and whether the company has released the product to public or not.

Mr. Edirisinghe had to face all those difficulties during his last days with stress, strain and frustration, one of the leading edible oil importers said. (BS)