DCD: report tomorrow

6 October 2014 03:31 am Views - 3623

The results of the investigation into the imported milk powder for DCD by the Industrial Technological Institute of Sri Lanka (ITI) would be out tomorrow, Health Ministry officials said yesterday.

Sale of three batches of 400 gramme packets of Anchor brand full-cream milk powder had been held temporary by the Health Ministry as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, Minister of Technology and Research Patali Champika Ranawaka told a media conference that at least 20 per cent of the imported milk powder samples which were subjected to investigation by the Industrial Technological Institute (ITI) had contained DCD.

Minister Ranawaka said 13 samples had been subjected to investigations since 2013 to date.

He said 20 per cent of these samples were contaminated with DCD.

“The reduction of imported milk powder consumption in the recent past had proved that the people have accepted the fact that imported milk powder had been actually contaminated despite the campaigns carried out by the importers stating that milk powder was safe,” he said.

Accordingly he said the import of powdered milk had come down to 59,079 tonns in 2013, while it 84,000 tonnes in 2012,

The amount imported this year had been 3200 tonnes. The Minister said that the data put out by the ITI was accurate.

No food safety or quality issue: Fonterra

Speaking to the Daily Mirror a top Director of the Fonterra Brands Lanka said that according to investigations carried out by the company “there was no food safety or quality issue. “However, sale of three batches of Anchor brand full-cream milk powder had been held temporary as a precautionary measure, Fonterra Brands Lanka Associate Director Sanath Mahawithanage said.

He said this had been done following the decision of the Ministry of Health to take precautionary measure to temporarily put on hold the sale of three batches of Anchor milk-powder 400 gramme packets.

However Dr. Mahawithanage, the Associate Director, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs said the investigations undertaken by the company using internationally accredited independent laboratories had confirmed that there was no food safety or quality issue. “Our investigations were conducted on the samples from these three batches. We are now waiting to hear from the Ministry of Health on the outcome of their investigation. In the meantime, the Ministry had confirmed that this was a precautionary measure," he said.