How Conscious ARE Consumers about their Purchases

18 October 2013 09:14 pm Views - 2949

 

DCD contamination: Have we finished with it

Sri Lanka was faced with the dicyandiamide (DCD) contamination scare with regard to powdered milk and other imported dairy products a few months ago. Although various opinions were voiced concerning the issue, the consumers have still not been offered an absolutely clear view on whether imported dairy products are safe for consumption now.  
On January 24, a diary giant recalled some of their products following the discovery of what they described as ‘very low levels of DCD’ in test samples of dairy products. Although the scare did not hit Sri Lanka immediately, a few months later when a group of the  trade union representatives sought legal assistance to halt the sales of the products in question, the public turned increasingly aware and wary of purchasing powdered milk, leading to a halt in the sales of imported powdered milk. Although the companies involved and  the government authorities now claim that the contaminant presents no danger since the contaminated batches have been removed, the consumers continue to be woried about the quality and safety of the products.

Although Sri Lanka has a rich history with regard to its dairy industry, the sector has been experiencing a setback during the past few years as a result of the rising maintenance costs and lack of government assistance, in spite of the increasing demand for dairy products. As a result, the Sri Lankan consumer has turned heavily dependent on powdered milk, leading to a situation where the powdered milk is actually priced higher than fresh liquid milk.
Is powdered milk no longer safe for consumption? Can the consumers rely on the standards and the assurances given by government institutions and trans-national companies? Is fresh milk a healthier choice than powdered milk? At a seminar organized by the Independent Medical Practitioners’ Association (IMPA) titled, ‘Is milk safe for human consumption’ a panel of experts expressed mixed opinions concerning the above queries and on the overall topic about food safety and of the importance of creating consumer awareness.

“It is time to adopt a holistic approach. . .”

Dr. Damayanthi Perera – Nutritionist
“With large-scale dairy production companies in place, can we really believe that imported milk is safer than the locally manufactured milk? Can we always trust the trans-national companies with exorbitant advertising budgets to tell us the truth? Most importantly, although there are numerous professionals and professional bodies and so many custodians of health, can we rely on safety standards imposed by the government,” nutritionist Dr. Damayanthi Perera asked.
She says the consumers are also to be partly blamed for the low-quality products that are released into the market.

“We live in a commercial world and therefore there is no point in blaming the producers alone. Sri Lanka is a unique country where the consumers are quite apathetic. This trend has to change; there are several independent consumer lobbyists but there should be many more,” Dr. Perera added.
She pointed out that throughout the past few years, several grave issues have cropped up concerning milk contamination including the Melamine issue as well as the most recent DCD contamination.
“They will certainly not be the last of the kind – this trend will continue to repeat unless the consumers make a conscious decision to make smart, informed choices concerning their purchases,” Dr. Perera said.

However, she also said since at present, most products are not true to their label descriptions or promotional material, even the authorities and the professional bodies responsible for protecting the consumers have instead betrayed them.
“In 2009 in Britain, bottles of drinking water of one of the world’s most premier mineral bottled water companies were contaminated. In 2007, in spite of full knowledge of the mixing of material from sewer pipes in the production process, the company still released Salmonella-contaminated chocolate brand into the market. Recent studies have proven that certain foods such as margarine and various types of milk powder aimed at various age levels are not as nutritious or healthy as they are popularly promoted to be. We are being pickpocketed in broad daylight into paying for products that are not really wholesome. So it is up to the consumer to make the smart choice,” Dr. Perera said.

She said the unfortunate developments have also opened a window of opportunity, particularly to those of us in the East.
“Factors such as the obesity epidemic have proven that the Western models of Economy, agriculture and food processing have failed. Therefore, it is time to merge the best from the East and the West and adopt a more holistic approach concerning food policies,” Dr. Perera said.
Commenting on the existing crisis concerning the contamination of milk and dairy products, she said one of the steps that could be taken towards solving the crisis was to opt for the traditional Asian cows (Bos Indicus) instead of Western breeds.

“Sri Lanka is well known for its dairy industry, although it is not as large as in other countries. Moreover, it should be noted that locally, cows are mostly like part of a family - it is not farming, it is rearing. The productions and the processes might not be large-scale, but smaller, the better,” she said.
Dr. Perera also pointed out that although industrial cow milk is known to create coronary artery diseases, scientific documentations have proved that Maasai warriors in Africa who are also cattle herdsmen and drink about two litres of milk every day do not have coronary heart diseases.
She also pointed out that since industrial milk is subjected to a lot of heat treatments and broken down to different constituents; recent studies had also questioned the quality of such heavily treated milk. “The profit of the dairy industry lies in the fat and that is separated and used to produce ice cream and other dairy products. There is a belief that it is affecting the quality of milk,” Dr. Perera said.

As another solution, she points out that Sri Lanka too should adopt the ‘cow sharing’ system introduced in Canada; a system through which a family/individual buys a share of a cow and becomes a co-owner and enables the farmer to give a bottle of fresh, untreated milk to the co-owners.
Speaking further she added that the policy makers have an obligation to consider local data when it comes to deciding on food policies. “Don’t let anyone tamper with your food policies because it’s dangerous. The decisions made today will affect your health and your children’s health tomorrow.”

“Is it possible to produce milk free of extraneous contaminants?”

Dr. Niranjan Rajapaksa - Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology
Faculty of Agriculture
University of Peradeniya

“Milk that is directly obtained from the cow is ideally supposed to be free of extraneous contaminants but whether or not this supreme quality can be achieved is debatable,” says Dr. Rajapaksa who also represents the Sri Lanka Organization of Agricultural Professionals.
According to him, in large-scale diary operations, where the milk is obtained from animals reared within a farm, certain issues crop up that would continue along the milk supply chain, starting from the grass fed to the cows up to the glass of milk enjoyed by consumers. Therefore, he says that the overall process can expose the milk to certain contaminants.  

“Hence, whether we like it or not, the fact is that milk does contain certain contaminants. Therefore, what needs to be done is to manage such contaminants under a controllable level that will make them safe for human consumption,” Dr. Rajapaksa added.
He stated that agricultural and husbandry practices are forms through which most contaminants directly enter the milk obtained by cows. Moreover, he added that during the storage and processing stages, following the standard hygienic practices is vital to ensure milk remains free of contaminants.
“Contaminants can be categorized into three major groups – biological, chemical and physical. Physical contaminants are not as grave as biological or chemical since they can be easily avoided through adjusting the basic practices and processes followed in the dairy industry,” he said.

“Non-compliance to the withholding period of certain drugs is also another reason that has caused repeated contamination of fresh milk, since the harvesting of the produce should be carried out only after the chemical impacts of the drugs disappear from the sources,” Dr. Rajapaksa said while adding, failure to do so leads to health complications in humans and the administration of traditional antibiotics on such complications would also not be successful.
He pointed out the importance of developing a system that detects accurately quantifies and confirms the presence of the contaminants in milk. “Between 2004 and 2012, several international bodies have identified numerous new chemical contaminants and it was marked as a 500% increase of such compounds during the eight years. Therefore, it is evident that with new developments in technology and medicine, various new contaminants that could affect the quality of milk have also been discovered but do we have any method to detect/analyze such compounds in Sri Lanka?” he asked.

Dr. Rajapaksa went on to explain the importance of developing a national plan to address issues existing within the dairy industry as well as concerning the development of infrastructure and equipping the laboratories with modern analytical tools that are on par with international standards.

“Boycotting milk powder is not practical”

Dr. A. M. Mubarak – Safety Testing expert  

According to former CEO of the Industrial Technological Institute (ITI), Dr. Mubarak one of the main requirements to uplift and encourage quality dairy products in Sri Lanka is a system that can analyze the quality of milk. “An independent assessment body should be established so that not only contaminations but also cases of adulterations of milk can be assessed and a quality-assured product can be released to the consumers,” he said.
Quoting examples from a neighbouring country, Dr. Mubarak says that studies have indicated that close to 70% of the milk samples in India are contaminated. “Adulteration of milk is rampant in India – once mixed with water the milk loses its thickness, hence materials such as starch, glucose and sugar are added and further contaminate the product. We have all heard this occurs in Sri Lanka but due to the absence of an assessment body, there is no way to determine it. z”

He also states that since raw milk is a perishable product, it should undergo a preservation process such as pasteurization.
“However, in informal sectors in countries such as India, preservatives such formalin and hydrogen peroxide are used, which are once again not good for the human body. Moreover, since the price of the milk is based on the fat and protein content, chemical substances such as Urea and Ammonium Sulphate are used,” Dr. Mubarak said.
Therefore, he states that since Sri Lanka is not self-sufficient in diary produce, boycotting milk powder is not only impractical but also gives rise to other issues such as storage space and shelf-life, which does not apply to powdered milk.

Speaking further he said that in cases such as the DCD contamination, the addition was unintentional. “DCD was used to prevent water contamination by nitrate and the emission of nitrous oxide,” he explained.
Commenting on the tests carried out on the alleged DCD contamination of milk and the
Dr. Mubarak said it was vital for the local testing and analyzing bodies to be equipped with high-technology equipment.

“DCD issue was highlighted erroneously…”

Dr. Athula Mahagamage- Sri Lanka Veterinary Association, President

Dr. Mahagamage says he believes the issue of DCD contamination in powdered milk was erroneously highlighted, devoid of accurate facts.
“The issue was given publicity in a wrong manner. There are many other burning issues of poisoning and contaminants consumed by humans such as Lead as well as Sulphur, which we inhale daily through the fuel. However, no one highlights such grave issues,” he said.
Dr. Mahagamage said the issue of DCD contamination in powdered milk was already announced by the producers themselves, well before the issue was highlighted and brought before media/ public attention in Sri Lanka.

“So the producers have followed proper protocol and business ethics concerning the issue and they handled it appropriately. However, due to unnecessary and erroneous interpretations and publicity, it is not simply the companies in question that have suffered the repercussions; it is also the local dairy industry stakeholders,” he added.