The Director of the Food Safety Unit of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Thilak Siriwardena said that they are aware of the carcinogenic food items were being sold in the market but they didnt inform to public because they will scared about the situation.

He said these information while speaking to a newspaper.

“If the people were made aware of this they would be scared. But we did it in the most correct way. That is, we removed the relevant carcinogenic products immediately from the market. Then the relevant products were ordered to be discontinued. By doing so, they were given the opportunity to produce their products in a healthier and safer way. In addition, before the products were released to the market, we conducted several laboratory tests and confirmed that they did not contain any harmful substances. As you say, if the people were made aware first, they would be scared about them we will unable to stop the situation.”

“However, some foods in the market contain carcinogenic aflatoxin and that can be WHO approved amount or less. However, we regularly inspect the foods in the market. If they contain any harmful substances, they will be removed from the market immediately. Our diet contains less than the recommended amounts of aflatoxin but there is no possibility in the market to reduce it to zero. That’s why I said at the beginning that if you want to reduce it to zero, make coconut oil at home.” He further added.

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