Errant beverage manufacturers beware:

New Food Act from July 1

by Ananda Kannangara

The Health Ministry has warned cordial and beverage manufacturers countrywide to be careful when printing the date of production, the date of expiry and the ingredients used in the beverage on the label of the product from July 1.

According to the Health Ministry’s new Food Act which will come into effect from July 1, all food manufacturers in the country should strictly adhere to the Health Ministry’s regulations when manufacturing, labelling, transporting and selling their produtcs.

The Health Ministry has also focused attention on the sale of unhygienic and outdated canned food items and various soft drink products sold by supermarkets, groceries and other food outlets.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena told the Sunday Observer that the public should be extra cautious when purchasing soft drink products and canned food items.

He said anybody could complain on the sale of outdated food items to the relevant authorities.

“Products that carry the Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) label and the expiry date could be considered as high quality items.”

The Minister called upon elders to be vigilant over cheap and unhygienic soft drinks, manufactured with the sole intention of earning a fast buck.

The Minister has warned traders to check the date of expiry of food products almost daily and refrain from selling outdated food items, including meat, fish, local and imported canned foods, soft drinks and cordials.