Food safety a must...:

Soft drink claims another toddler's life

Consumers must be alert:

How can we protect ourselves?

By Omar RAJARATHNAM

An investigation has been launched into Vihanga Denuwan's death, the toddler from Wellawaya who died after consuming a soft drink bought by his father from a shop in the area, Police Media Spokesperson Prishantha Jayakody told the Sunday Observer on April 12. "The mother who also consumed the drink from the same bottle is recovering at the Moneragala Hospital but we cannot comment any further until investigations are complete", he said.

Vihanga, born on June 25, 2009, died on April 9 as all efforts taken by doctors at the Moneragala hospital to revive his life failed. Shriyani Wijesundara, mother of the child who is recovering at the same hospital regained consciousness on April 11 only to learn that her child had succumbed to an allergic reaction after consuming the soft drink. Indika Priyashantha, Vihanga's father claims that he had two sips of the drink and left home for work when his sister-in-law called him to alert him that Vihanga had passed out and he was rushed to hospital.

Dr. Ananda Jayalal

Investigations are still under way to ascertain whether the contents of the soft drink caused the toddler's death. Vihanga's grandmother has also provided a witness statement to assist with the investigations. Speculations are rife about what caused the death of the one-year-nine month old toddler, whatever the investigations may bring to light, the toddler's life is now irreplaceable. But what can be replaced is our outlook on the importance of food safety.

Many consumers and vendors are unclear about safety standards that need to be practised when storing these bottled products in their premises or they have conveniently neglected regulations either because no checks are being carried out or due to sheer negligence. Despite a detailed article which was published on the Sunday Observer on January 30 on the subject, consumers seem to have a bleak knowledge about what indicators they are supposed to look for before they purchase bottled products. We contacted the Director of Environmental Health and Occupational Health of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ananda Jayalal to elaborate on the issue.

These bottles should not be stored under direct sunlight, he said. "This is an extremely unsafe practice followed specifically by vendors who do not have enough space to store bottled products. They are supposed to be stored in a cool and dry place, not in a hot and scorching rack under the sun", he said.

This advice helps one to conclude that drink stalls in Galle Face in Colombo are arguably one of the most inappropriate places to purchase soft drinks or mineral water from. Vendors adjacent to the beach expose their bottled drink products directly to the sun and the same bottles are then used to replenish the tiny rigifoam box filled with ice before selling them as chilled drinks, these bottles may become subject to chemical reaction because they burn in the afternoon sun before being sold to consumers as chilled drinks.

Q: Why is it harmful to store these bottles under direct sun and what are the immediate health repercussions of consuming them?

A: The probability of bacterial and fungal growth in these increase drastically when stored directly under sunlight as opposed to being stored in a cool place. This and many other mandatory storage requirements are detailed in the Food Act No 26 of 1980. The preservatives used in the drinks react adversely under constant exposure to sunlight triggering a chemical reaction within the bottle. Many misconceive that the reaction can only occur in plastic bottles but it is not so, it can happen regardless of whether it is a plastic or glass bottle.

Vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea may be some immediate repercussions and you must seek medical attention if you experience any of the above after consuming such drinks.

Q: Not all consumers and vendors are aware of these regulations, so they are misinformed leading them to be at high risk of falling prey to such adverse chemical reactions, what measures has the Ministry of Health taken to educate them?

A: All manufacturers are required to instruct vendors who sell their products of these regulations. Further, the website for Food Control Administration of the Ministry of Health and Nutrition has a copy of all the regulations surrounding consumer food products.

Q: Are they available in all three languages?

A: No, it is only available in English at the moment but we are aiming at making it available in Sinhala and Tamil languages within another month.

Q: Do you think that it is sufficient to ensure their safety?

A: Consumers must be vigilant too, I request that they avoid purchasing soft drinks or mineral water from carts or roadside shops that store them directly under the sun. If buying products which are stored inappropriately stops, the selling of these products will automatically cease.

Product safety is a basic consumer right and there is no need to compromise on it at all. Vendors will have to find proper means of storage if people refuse to buy products which do not conform to safety standards. The problem is, there is huge oversight on the consumers part as well. Printing an expiry date on products is a compulsory regulation but not all consumers check it before purchasing. Consumer safety is not the responsibility of only the vendor, manufacturer or public health officers, it is the consumer's responsibility too.

Q: Where mineral water is concerned, the price parity between different brands selling equal volumes is very wide, how can consumers be assured that they are purchasing water that is fit for consumption regardless of the price difference?

A: All mineral water products are micro-biologically and chemically tested. Look for the following certification and the expiry date printed on the label,

CFA/BW/year of manufacture/month of manufacture

Once again, ensure you are not buying these bottles from places that store them directly under the sun. Meeting all of the above criteria can avoid health hazards without much effort. The Ministry of Health website also has a comprehensive list of bottled drinking water and natural mineral water manufacturers. Refrain from purchasing any products that are not included in that list.

Q: How can consumers complain details of vendors who do not conform to safety standards?

A: The Food Administration Control Unit can be contacted on 0112368813, they will investigate into complaints consumers lodge.

Public Health Officers and Medical Officers islandwide have been instructed on how to act on complaints too, so I recommend dissatisfied consumers refer to them and the relevant authorities will act accordingly to mitigate harmful chemical reactions and ensure consumer safety.

Q: Can chemical reactions cause death such as speculated in the case of little Vihanga?

A: I will not be able to comment on it until report into the investigation is produced. It is highly unlikely that it can cause death unless with the exception of food poisoning caused by consuming expired products.

But a previous incident in Polonnaruwa of a similar nature was exaggerated as a safety mishap but then it turned out that the father poisoned that drink and a child succumbed to it but the mother survived. So there are some who use the safety mishap route to commit crimes too.

This is a very sensitive topic, so I will not talk about it until the final report is submitted.

Having said that, the Ministry of Health often teams up with the Colombo Municipal Council and other Provincial Councils to conduct regular raids to ensure that regulations are being followed without glitches.

We have also prosecuted some perpetrators of these regulations. All bottled products manufacturers go through stringent accreditation procedures before being granted the licence to commence production and they are re-inspected once every three years or less to ensure that they do not compromise on standards.

The SLS certification is granted parallel to the certifications of the Ministry of health, so the system to ensure consumer safety is very robust but all of this effort is in vain if consumers do not take extra precaution when purchasing products.

Consumers must refrain from buying any discoloured drinks. Parks, beaches and carnivals are very popular places where consumers are willing to pay any price to buy bottled water or drinks but this is also the place where they run the highest risk of experiencing health hazards, because they conveniently overlook the safety component due to being engrossed in entertainment.

I request that the public be watchful and take precautionary measures against unnecessary bacterial reactions and to report anyone who does not conform to safety standards to the relevant authorities so we can take legal action against them.