DEBATE

Food additives: The need for control

The latest scandal in the world of food is melamine contamination. Melamine is familiar as a sort of alternative to ceramics and one would not associate the substance with food. The problem surfaced in China, where four children have died as a result of melamine poisoning. More than 6,000 children are still in hospital. The culprit was milk powder containing melamine.

Melamine, when added to food in considerable quantities, boosts protein readings thus giving an aura of added nutritional value. It has already become a worldwide phenomenon, no longer limited to China. Several products from Sri lanka are suspected to have contained melamine while health authorities have asked grocers to withdraw 60 items said to be containing the chemical.

The whole issue brings into focus the need for food standards. Only permitted additives and colourings can be used, but is it being strictly followed ? The worrying factor is that Sri Lanka still does not have a proper mechanism to screen food imports. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLS) certification applies only to local products, but inferior foreign products can be found at lower prices. There are also no standards regarding print and television advertising. Many bogus claims on food are made in these advertisements with no proof at all. In the light of the melamine scare, shouldn't there be some control over food advertising ?

The melamine issue has also brought to the fore the importance of quality control at all stages of food production. Educating the consumer on these issues is also important. We will dwell on these issues in the coming weeks in the Daily News Debate page as we take up the topic Food Additives: The need for control. Send in your contributions (containing 750-1,000 words) to 'Daily News Debate', Daily News, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, PO Box 1217, Colombo, or via e-mail to [email protected] before October 27, 2008.