Today the Day that focuses on the protection of consumers of food products is celebrated worldwide. The Colombo Food Safety Authority announced that it is working to set standards also for the drink made from coconut blossom sap, very popular in the country but so far not controlled.
Colombo (Asia News) – Today the fifth Food Safety Day is celebrated around the world, focused this year on the theme: “Food standards save lives”. The aim is to recognize the importance of criteria in keeping consumers safe and safeguarding them at various stages of the food trade. The standards verify the origin, composition, appearance, freshness, permitted additives, the level of bacteria in food products, and also offer guidelines for their hygienic handling.
In Sri Lanka, the issue was the focus of a conference promoted by the Ministry of Health on the eve of the day and which served to assess security in the country. During this meeting it became clear that there is no codified rule on the toddy (palm wine), the low-alcohol drink made from the sap of the inflorescences of the coconut palm, very popular in Sri Lanka.
The issue of food safety is regulated at the national level by a 1980 law, which entrusts controls to the Sri Lanka Standard Institute (SLSI). Thilini Kalugala, deputy director of this body, stated that compared to other countries in the world, the technology and testing facilities for standard setting in Sri Lanka are low level. However, he offered guarantees about the service offered to the population. He also added that during the year samples of toddy in different parts of the island and are analyzed, with the aim of establishing criteria that guarantee consumer safety.
