Tag Archives: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka temporarily halts some Fonterra milk product sales after illness

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New Zealand’s Fonterra’s still got some problems after Sri Lanka suspended the sale of some Anchor milk powder after some children consumed the product and fell ill, government health officials said on Sunday.

Anchor-milk-BHowever Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy giant, said independent investigations into the three batches concerned proved that they were safe to consume.

The health ministry suspended the distribution and sale of the three batches of Anchor following a complaint of food poisoning in some children in the southern village of Girandurukotte, 224 km (140 miles) from the capital Colombo.

Senerath Bandara, the secretary of Sri Lanka’s public health inspectors’ association, said the Health Services had ordered inspectors to confiscate all stocks of the three batches.
“We have been ordered to hold them until the investigations are over following the reports that several kids had fallen ill after consuming the milk powder,” Bandara told Reuters.
The health ministry has sent the Anchor milk powder packets of the relevant batches for laboratory testing, officials said.

Sanath Mahawithanage, Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka Associate Director for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, said, “Our investigations conducted on samples from these three batches by internationally accredited independent laboratories confirm that there is no food safety or quality issue.”

Mahawithanage said the company is waiting for health ministry direction after its own local tests and the outcome of their investigation.

Sri Lanka initiates food safety program during festive season

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The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka has commenced a special program to ensure the safety of the food consumers getting during the forthcoming New Year festive season. The CAA will continue the program untill April 10.

During this period the CAA’s district representatives including officials from the Colombo headquarters will intensively engage in the inspection New Yearof retail shops and warehouses.

According to the CAA, the program is implemented with the objectives of making vendors aware of fraudulent groups who misuse the CAA’s name to collect money, ensure that traders follow regulations prescribed by the CAA Act, paying special attention to mobile vendors and special new-year sales, preventing outdated and adulterated consumer goods from entering the market, and to prevent hoarding of essential consumer items. 

Cricket players barfing because of bottled water at T20?

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ICC officials are believed to be investigating suggestions the gastro virus that has swept through at least three teams at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka is linked to the type of bottled water supplied at match venues.

New Zealand trio Dan Vettori, Tim Southee and Rob Nicol and Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Brad Hogg are among those players at the tournament who’ve been struck down with gastro and upset-stomach dramas in the past week.

Southee received hospital treatment for dehydration.

Members of the Ireland team were also struck down.

But even with the barfing, cricket is still dull.

Sri Lanka goes for public letter grading of restaurants, food places

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The Health Ministry has taken steps to grade all food handling establishments under the H-800 Food Handling Establishments Inspection system, with the objective of ensuring food security in Sri Lanka, Health Ministry Additional Secretary Palitha Maheepala said.

Under this programme the ministry has taken measures to educate and advise the owners and food handlers on safe food practices and formulate an action plan to improve food safety, ensure and maintain quality and safety of food and upgrade food handling establishments.

"As a result of urbanization, most of the people in our society buy food from food handling establishments. So it is important to ensure the food security in all hotels, bakeries, groceries, supper markets, snack bars and other food establishments."

These establishments will be categorized under four categories namely A,B,C and D, in order to ensure food safety. The ministry will offer a certificate by mentioning the grade that they have obtained and they should display their certificates at their establishments, which would be easy for the general public to get an idea about food establishments, Health Ministry, Environmental and Occupational Health Director T.B.Ananda Jayalal said.

1,350 out of 10,000 food handling establishments inspected by the Health Ministry officials have obtained the A grade.

New Zealand cricketers felled by food poisoning

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I don’t understand cricket — other than it may be as boring as baseball —  but I do understand barf.

Tillakaratne Dilshan achieved the milestone he narrowly missed in Sri Lanka’s first innings to post an unbeaten 123 as New Zealand became increasingly dependent on rain to stave off defeat in the first cricket test in Galle last night.

New Zealand had little to enthuse about once it became apparent morning rain would not stall the start of play for the first time since a delayed toss.

Their mood darkened further when Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder called in sick at breakfast, the worst affected of eight players struck down by food poisoning.

Only Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and Iain O’Brien were immune from the bug that provided Auckland wicketkeeper Reece Young with his first experience of test cricket.