January 14, Colombo (LNW): The Public Health Inspectors’ Union has accused the Sri Lankan government of seeking to amend the permissible limit of ‘Aflatoxin’ in food supplements intended for small children.
Such a decision, if implemented, poses a significant threat to the health of children in Sri Lanka, Union Treasurer Roshan Kumara asserted addressing a briefing recently held in Colombo.
In a related development, on November 21, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers made a decision to adjust the permissible Aflatoxin levels for local food supplement programmes to align with globally recognised standards for food supplements.
This adjustment in the permissible levels of Aflatoxin primarily pertained to the Thriposha programme, which is part of the Maternal and Child Health Programme administered by the Ministry.
The proposal arose from the challenges faced by the Ministry of Health in sourcing maize for Thriposha production, attributed to the stringent Aflatoxin limits specified in the existing regulations under the Food Act No. 26 of 1980.
To address this issue, it was suggested that the Aflatoxin limits imposed on internationally accredited food supplements (5ppb for type B1 and 10ppb for total Aflatoxin) be applied to local food supplement programmes.
