Call to regulate coconut oil standards

The government should intervene to introduce a regulatory mechanism to ensure that coconut oil sold in the open market complies with quality standards to safeguard the interests of consumers, Head of Sales and Marketing, Cherubiu Lanka, Denzil Perera said.

The lack of regulations and the absence of an acceptable benchmark in the industry has led to an unfortunate situation, where various people and companies feed the marketplace with inferior, substandard coconut oil, which jeopardises the health of the people.

The 'SLS' quality certification introduced by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution for coconut oil does not adequately cover the goodness, quality, nutrition standards of the products rather it is a certification which only covers the process and packing. It doesn't mean anything to the customer. The certification should be for what is inside the bottle.

Therefore, nobody can give a categorical assurance on the goodness, quality and safety standards of most coconut oil products in the market. Without any concern for goodness, quality, safety and hygienic standards, it is possible to produce coconut oil at low cost and also sell it at comparatively cheaper prices to consumers, he said.

Perera said that it should be borne in mind that products manufactured under globally acknowledged, guaranteed quality and safety standards cost more than cheap, inferior varieties.

"Some traders in Pettah collect empty coconut oil cans of well-known brands and refill them with inferior quality, unsafe coconut oil. Thereafter, they sell these cans at a comparatively higher price under the name of the original brands. Many customers have been cheated by these racketeers," he said.

"Unsuspecting customers do not realise that they buy substandard coconut oil at a higher price in the belief that they were genuine, trust-worthy, quality products.

We receive regular complaints in this regard. Our brand image is tarnished as a result of this racket. Customers are also misled and suffer the consequences of consuming low quality coconut oil," he added.

"An unhealthy situation has arisen due to the absence of any government regulation in the coconut oil manufacturing process.

We appeal to those in authority to intervene and ensure the regulation of this vital industry to safeguard the interests of all segments involved in the business," Perera said. Cherubium Lanka, a 100 percent Sri Lankan company within the NMK Holdings umbrella, has introduced more than 30 safe and hygienic food products, including pure coconut oil to the local and international market.

Its food products are manufactured using state-of-the-art technology in compliance with internationally accepted quality standards.

The manufacturing process of the company has been awarded ISO-22000, HACCP and GMP international certifications.

The NMK Group of Companies and the brand name 'Marina' won the Asia Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2014 award and 'SLIM Brand Excellence' award in 2013.