Melamine issue

Adulterating food and drink is nothing new. Two well known local examples are mixing papaya seeds with pepper and brick residue with chili powder. Some rice stocks have a liberal filling of sand and stones and even fish comes with more sand and ice than the real article.

These are done by small-timers who try to maximise their profit at the expense of the consumer. But over the years, many big companies have been caught doing more or less the same thing, albeit in a far more sophisticated manner. The use of food additives and colouring is widespread and there really is no way to check whether such chemical agents are healthy or not.

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. Most parents seek to give their offspring the best brand of milk powder and many have fallen prey to these high protein readings.

The whole melamine issue must be probed in detail because it has already become a worldwide phenomenon, no longer limited to China. Today, our grocery and supermarket shelves are lined up with products from many countries thanks to the free flow of imports - jam from Switzerland, butter from New Zealand, Oranges from Australia, biscuits from Indonesia, pasta from Italy, sauces from Malaysia, chocolates from India and rice from Thailand are just a few examples. In a similar manner, many Sri Lankan products from tea to biscuits are found in foreign supermarkets. It is a global village indeed.

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. It is time that a food standards authority is established for the purpose of testing food items for any harmful substances.

Another moot point is that there are absolutely no standards for print and television advertising in this country. Many bogus claims are made in these advertisements with no proof at all. Many foods are promoted as super-healthy by so-called superstars and other celebrities. Children are freely featured in advertisements and are often seen getting a boost of energy from a particular product. Sri Lanka also needs an advertising standards authority and an advertising complaints commission to stem this trend.

That said, one must laud the health authorities here for taking swift action once the melamine story unfolded. They have already identified several brands of milk powder as having no traces of melamine. In the meantime, they have asked supermarkets to withdraw nearly 60 items on suspicion of having melamine. More tests are being done on a number of food items. The Consumer Affairs Authority too is playing a major role in this regard. It has taken a chocolate maker to Court and is probing other manufacturers.

The corporate sector too behaved with responsibility. While many importers and manufacturers published advertisements and posters assuring customers of the safety of their products, one manufacturer whose products came under suspicion took swift action to withdraw the particular product from the market. This is Corporate Social Responsibility in another form. Later it was proved that the product does not contain melamine.

This will hopefully set an example for all other companies. In Western countries, products are recalled by the companies themselves with the merest hint of contamination. They publish newspaper advertisements and offer compensation in cash or kind to the affected consumers. It is an entirely voluntary process, though regulatory authorities may suggest a particular course of action.

The melamine issue has brought to the fore the importance of quality control at all stages of food production. Labelling of ingredients, with their country of origin, must be made mandatory for all manufacturers. Educating the consumer on these issues is also important. An enlightened consumer is the best assurance against food companies that try to cheat the public.