New regulations for selling lunch packets

by Ranil WIAJAYAPALA

The Public Health Department of the Colombo Muncipal Council in a bid to ensure that the lunch packets sold in the city are suitable for consumption will make it mandatory for the lunch packet sellers to have the preparation time of the meal and the name of the seller on the lunch packet from August 1, Chief Medical Officer Pradeep Kariyawasam told the Sunday Observer.

"We found that many lunch packets which are sold in the city are prepared in the morning and continue to sell even after two o'clock in the afternoon. The microbial growth in these lunch packets are high after four hours of preparation. We will have regular checks on them to see whether they are selling lunch packets prepared four hours earlier", he added.

"We are encouraging the public to buy lunch packets which have been prepared within four hours, he added.

He said the Public Health Department is now registering the lunch packet suppliers of the Colombo city in a bid to streamline the process of selling lunch packets in the city.

"Many lunch packets sold in the city are prepared and brought to the city from outside and we have made it compulsory for them to register with the CMC after bringing a letter from the MOH of the area certifying that MOH has visited their places and checked the places they prepare the meals for hygiene,' he added.

We are going to make it compulsory for the lunch packet suppliers to have the registration from the CMC to sell their lunch packets within city limits from August 1", he added.

"The registration certificates are being printed to be issued once the officials visit the places in the Colombo city and the outstation people produce the letters from the MOH of the respective areas certifying the meals are cooked in a hygienic manner," he added.