Speaking during a media briefing, the State Minister said goods more than 3500 of 5000 HS Codes are not inspected by authorities when imported to Sri Lanka. ”It was the Food Regulatory Authority of the Ministry of Health that initially found out that the coconut oil imported to the country contained carcinogenic elements,” Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena said. The Trade Minister said it was recommended to re-export the coconut oil to its respective countries, when the Sri Lanka Standard Institute also voiced the same concern. Vijitha Ravipriya said the toxic coconut oil was imported by 3 companies named Ali Brothers, Katana Refineries and Edirisinghe Edible. Legal action will be taken against these companies if investigations reveal that this stock has been released to the market, the Customs Director-General added.

Source: The Nation March 29, 2021 18:11 UTC