AOSRO urges Govt. to formulate national food policy

Association of Sri Lanka Restaurant Owners’ National Organiser Asela Sampath shows a pomegranate unsuitable for consumption to the media yesterday - Pix by Ruwan Walpola

By Hiruni Dabarera

In celebration of World Food Day, the Association of Sri Lanka Restaurant Owners (ASRO) yesterday called for the Government’s attention towards the renewal of the existing Food Act No. 26 of 1980 to bring in new laws to ensure the standard of food during sale. 

“The Government has failed to initiate any program to improve the standard of food during sale on this day which marks World Food Day,” declared AOSRO National Organiser Asela Sampath. He drew further attention towards the need for more officials to look into national health standards. Currently, there are only 1,900 officials in force. Within the Colombo Municipal Council, which requires 14 such officials, only one exists. 

“The reason for the lack of reforms by the Government is the upcoming budget,” alleged Sampath. He believes that the Government is hoping to tax hotels that do not meet the required standards. Instead, he expects the Government to bring in laws so that unhygienic conditions in hotels and canteens, especially at state schools and universities, can be discouraged. 

Within the course of the media briefing, the organisers also exhibited to the media the different ways in which unhealthy practices are executed during the sale of food. A red pomegranate was cut open to show how the red juice that oozed from it was a particular type of a colouring dye for it was unnatural for a pomegranate to have juice of such nature. Moreover, a certain type of rice sold at Rs. 60 a kilogramme at Lanka Sathosa outlets was exhibited as animal food.  Suggestions like using the military to make up for the lack of Public Health Inspectors, constructing sanitary facilities at restaurants which do not have them and enacting an overall improvement of the hygiene standards of hotels by charging Rs.100-200 from the management were brought up during the discussion. Further, requests were made for the details of the raw materials of a plate of rice issued at Rs. 60 at state universities and canteens at government institutions. They believe this will reveal the poor quality of raw materials used in preparing such a meal. 

“Earlier too we handed over a request for national reforms on food but not a single discussion was held pertaining to it,” stated the Consumer Rights Association’s President Sanjith Vithanage. 

He also stressed how the existing act of 1980, which exists with amendments, was insufficient to cater to the dire need to ensure standards in relation to the sale of food at present. Vithanage believes this will result in reduced expenses on health and nutrition. 

Under the 1980 Food Act, the Director General of Health is in charge of overseeing proper standards in food. However, the organisers stressed how he was not even aware of such responsibilities. 

The organisers also claimed how they will be handing over a report delineating standards of food during sale to the World Health Organization in the future.