NATIONAL POISONS

NATIONAL POISONS INFORMATION CENTRE

FOOD SAFETY AND CONSUMERS

FOOD REGULATIONS IN SRI LANKA

Why you need Regulations?To protect consumerTo protect industryTo control importsFood Act No. 26 of 1980Food (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 1991Food (Amendment) Act No. 29 of 2011

FOOD REGULATIONS IN SRI LANKA

An Act to regulate and control Manufacture, Importation, Sale & Distribution of Food

FOOD LABELLING

Food label plays an important role in providing the relevant nutrition information to consumers.If the products are not labeled, consumers may not be fully aware of their nutrient content. Consumers select their foods on their own beliefs based on advertising, public health messages, their general knowledge of food science

Generally require that all food ingredients, including direct additives, be listed on the package label by their common names in order of weight. Nutrition information is also required.

Labelling of Food Cont..

Label should be clearly, permanently printed and pasted on the front of the food pack.Food pack main table should contain below mentioned statements.Common Name of the food item should be clearly mentioned at least in 2 Languages on the Label.If there is a Trade name or specific name to the product it should be mentioned at least in 1 or more language.Below mentioned details should be indicated at least in one or more language in either one table on a label.

CONTENTS OF A FOOD LABEL

How and where to store and how to use (usually Refrigerated food should store between 25 to 30 Temperature)Registration NoBatch No or symbol NoDate of ExpireDate Manufacture In Re- packaging after importing , date of manufacture and date of Re- packageList of of the product and their common names and quantities used in order to identify easily.Name and the Address of the manufacturer and packaging parson or distributorFor imported products Name and Address of the importer, packaging person, and distributor with the country of manufacturing.

FOOD ADDITIVES

Food additive" means any safe substance that is intentionally introduced into or on a food in small quantities in order to affect the food's keeping quality, texture, appearance, Flavour or to serve any other technological function in the manufacturing, processing, treatment, transport or storage of food.

FOOD ADDITIVES

Uncontrolled use of Food Additives is deemed to pose danger to public health, Most of the food additives of modern days are synthetically derived chemicals used by many food manufacturers.

Preservatives, Antioxidants, Flavours, Stabilizers Flour treatment agents Flavour enhancers, Food colourings, Sweeteners, Emulsifiers, etc.

The food additives can be classified into

MSG is a sodium salt of the naturally occurringnon-essential amino acid, glutamic acid, with the trade names of Ajinomoto, Vetsin and Accent.

Monosodium glutamate / (MSG).

Flavour enhancers increase the desirable taste of food when used at levels below theirindependent detection thresholds.

Flavours and flavour enhancers

MSG is safer for most people when eaten at customary levels. Some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes “MSG symptom complex” and a worsening of asthmatic symptoms, migraine headaches, food allergies in children, obesity and hyperactivity in children.

Monosodium glutamate / (MSG).

It was once predominately made from wheat gluten, but is now mostly made from bacterial fermentation.

tea leaves, coffee, baking powder,bakery products, margarine, vinegar, white sugar, products with cocoa,

Food items prohibited to add flavours.

brown sugar, dairy products, milk and milk powder, wine made of fruits, food products with malt, spices, cereals, fats and oils, ice cream, pasta, noodles, fish, meat, vegetables and fruits.

Food (Colouring Substances) Regulations 2006

Added colouring substances not permitted in the following foods.Any raw or unprocessed meat, poultry fish, fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, bread, cream, liquid milk, condensed milk, powdered milk.ExceptionsFlavoured milk, yoghurt, butter (natural), cheese (natural)

Permitted Colouring Substances

Colour Common Name INS NumberRed Carmoisine 122 Poncean 4R 124 Erythrosine 127 Allura red 129Yellow Sunset Yellow FCF 110 Tartrazine 102Blue Indigo Carmine(Indigotine) 132 Brilliant Blue FCF 133Green Green FCF 143

Food (shelf life of imported food items) Regulations -2011

All items of food imported to Sri Lanka shall at the point of entry posses a minimum period of sixty percentum(60%) of unexpired shelf life.This is not applicable to fresh fruits, vegetables & potatoes Period is calculated based on the date of expiry declared by the manufacturer

Food(Melamine in Milk & Milk Products) Regulations 2010

Maximum level permitted is 1.0 mg/kgA health certificate shall be produced from National Food Safety Authority of the country of origin

Natural sugars are an important class of food additives that give sweetness and energy.Table sugar obtained from sugar cane is a sweet-tasting carbohydrate called sucrose. Disaccharide = glucose + fructose. Health problems including tooth decay, obesity and diabetes.

Sweeteners

Sweeteners 5.2.1.1 Sugars, see SLS 191 White sugars, see SLS 883 5.2.1.2 Non-nutritive sweeteners, only for products labeled as in 8.2(b) . The limits given are for the beverage at the point of consumption. Aspartame -600 mg/l(max.) Acesulfame-I -350 mg/l(max) Sucralose -300 mg/l(max) Neotame - 20 mg/l(max)

Food preservatives

MSG is a sodium salt of the naturally occurringnon-essential amino acid, glutamic acid, with the trade names of Ajinomoto, Vetsin and Accent.

Monosodium glutamate / (MSG).

Flavour enhancers increase the desirable taste of food when used at levels below theirindependent detection thresholds.

Flavours and flavour enhancers

MSG is safer for most people when eaten at customary levels.Some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes “MSG symptom complex” and a worsening of asthmatic symptoms, migraine headaches, food allergies in children, obesity and hyperactivity in children.

Monosodium glutamate / (MSG).

It was once predominately made from wheat gluten, but is now mostly made from bacterial fermentation

.

 if the flavours Monosodium glutamate (E/INS 621), Disodium 5' guanylate (E/INS 627) or Disodium 5' inosinate (E/INS 631) is used in any food product it should be indicated on the label. Also the usage of the above flavours for infants' food products (below 3 years) is prohibited.

Use of chemicals in the process of fruit ripening.( Circular,2011)

Ethereal:could only be used to ripen fully grown bananas, papaya, avocado, pears and mangoes. It has prohibited the use of chemical on fruits like orange, lime, mangosteen and wood apple. The use of excess chemicals or the use of chemicals below the required level can cause allergies to the consumer.

Use of Chemical Ethephon

රසායනික ව්‍යුහය

Ethephonරසායනික නාමය - 2 - chlroethyl phosphonic Acid Organophosphonate සංයෝගයකි

Fruits with Excess amount of Ethephon

Use of Calcium carbide

Calcium carbide: The use of Calcium carbide to ripen the fruits artificially has been banded. Calcium carbide once sprayed on fruits could react and produce cyanide.

Standard method use for artificial fruit ripening

One milliliter of sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide dissolved in one liter of water. One milliliter of ethereal should be added to this solution. The fruits should be ripened only by exposing them to the ethylene gas that emanates from that solution kept in a room.The time period of exposure should be 24 hours.

Standard method for artificial fruit ripening

Identification of artificially ripened fruits

lack of a uniform colour. For example, artificially ripened mangoes will be green and yellow in patches around the surface. This may be because that chemical has not reached the entire fruit and the fruit sugars remain immature, it does not taste sweet. The flesh will also not be fully ripe inside. The artificially ripened fruit will be dry less juicy as compared to a naturally ripened one. They will also not have the sweet aroma that comes with a natural fruit.

Healthy habits for fruit consumers

Before eating fruits, Should wash the fruit in flowing water Cut them into pieces. If the fruits show signs of colour change they should not be consumed. Advise to peel off the skin of apples before they are eaten,

Formaldehyde in Fish (Regulations,2010) Source: The Gazette No. 1646/19, 24 March 2010, p. 1A.

no person shall import, transport, distribute, store, sell, offer or expose for sale any fish in Sri Lanka, which contains Formaldehyde in levels exceeding 5 mg/kg (ppm).

What is formalin

Formalin is a toxic substance if it enters into our body more than normal level and continuously over a long period of time,  may cause life threatening cancer”. 

Melamine in Milk & Milk Products (Regulations, 2010)

Maximum level permitted is 1.0 mg/kgA health certificate shall be produced from National Food Safety Authority of the country of origin

Thank you