Food Control System in Sri Lanka and Perception of Public Health Inspectors on Implementation of Control Measures

Background: Many health problems encountered today arising from consumption of unsafe food. Contamination of food and feeds arising from naturally occurring toxicants, microbiological contaminants, chemical contaminants such as additives used above the permitted levels, pesticide and veterinary residues in food or as toxic components from food processing could have deleterious effects in humans and animals. Food control measures are critical in fostering food safety management of a nation. Methods: In depth review of the existing legislation on food safety and hygiene and the food control system was done. International literature and reports were reviewed to compare the current global situation and the Sri Lankan situation. In depth interviews were conducted among the Public Health Inspectors who comprise the majority of authorized officers Results: The food control legislation which was enacted in 1980 has been amended only twice in 1991 and 2011. There are over 50 Regulations brough in time to time under the Food Act of 1980. The food control system is mainly centralized and the implementation is done mainly at the level of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH). Many provisions of the legislation are outdated and needs revisions. The perception of the Public Health Inspectors reveled that a vast majority are not satisfied with the current food control system and are the opinion that the improvements should be made in all areas related to the food control system. Conclusion: The food control system in Sri Lanka should be revisited and be improved and updated to be in line with the current global trends. The capacities of the analytical system as well as the authorized officers should be improved in order to ensure effective implementation of the food control system.


INTRODUCTION
National food control mechanisms are designed to address specific food safety priorities and critical issues of countries. They may differ from country to country but to be effective, the mechanisms contain key components such as policy, institutional frameworks, food legislation, regulations, food inspection and monitoring, food laboratory services, involvement of all stakeholders and dissemination of information to them. 1,2,3 There are a key number of principles that underscore food control activities and these include: 4 1. Food control is a widely shared responsibility and requires interaction between all stakeholders in the farm-to-table continuum, 2. A holistic, integrated and preventive approach to reduce risks of contamination all along the food chain which is the most effective way to produce safe food, 3. Evidence informed science-based control strategies, 4. Prioritizing interventions based on risk analysis and effectiveness of risk management strategies, 5. Emergency procedures for dealing with specific hazards or failures (e.g. product recalls) etc. The roles of the private sector and consumers are very important therefore their views and capacity should be taken into account when developing policies and regulations. Effective Communication and collaboration between the public sector (government), private sector (industry) and consumers is also crucial to food control Food safety and hygiene is of utmost importance for food industry , as it helps to protect the health of consumers from foodborne illnesses and food poisoning. 5,6,7 Food poisoning occurs when food becomes contaminated by bacteria, viruses and other germs, making those who consume the contaminated food have a significant disease morbidity and mortality which often under reported . Each year globally, unsafe food causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420 000 deaths approximately and 30% of foodborne deaths occur among children under 5 years of age. WHO estimated that 33 million years of healthy lives are lost due to eating unsafe food globally each year, and this number is likely an underestimation. Food-borne illnesses lead to reduced productivity, disability, early deaths, low incomes and hence low access to food and the problem becomes cyclic. 8,9 Illegal use of food additives, (E110, E102, E104, and E124) in local and imported foodstuff including infant foods, is an alarming case. Unless an approach that truly understands the specific challenges of developing economies are employed, the great food safety legislations may remain in books of codex without having a real life impact on food safety situation in the developing world. 10,11,12 Once a food safety policy is established and institutionalized, this gives a solid foundation to develop accompanying legislation. The legislation must be updated regularly based on scientific evidence; spell out clearly the roles and obligations of each concerned organization, and above all be enforced effectively . 13,14,15 For many developing countries, the full enforcement is a missing ingredient . For food safety legislations to succeed, they must cover all components of the food supply chain. Often in developing countries, food safety legislations leave out the informal sector which is a major contributor to food value chain and hence any accompanying ills. Food quality inspections demonstrate or validate the success or failure of food safety legislations. 16,17 Legislations that are not enforced are not beneficial at all. This is a major setback in all the aspects of the developing countries including Sri Lanka. Many factors contribute to this; including low status often awarded to food safety officers, inadequate logistical support, and cumulative tasks required of them hence intermittent attention to the task of inspection. Inadequate geographical coverage in all areas of the country by inspectors of food legislations and neglect of rural community means that their food safety concerns and issues often go unaddressed. 18

METHODS
This research contained review of the existing legislation, food control mechanism and assessment of the perception of Public Health Inspectors who are the authorized officers under the Food Act. The review was done using extensive literature review from available documents and reports from related services. This method was applied to five key components of food control system: food legislation, food control policy, implementation and training. The perception of Public Health Inspectors was assessed through in-depth interviews with fifty Public Health Inspectors randomly selected to represents districts of the country. The Public Health Inspectors were selected since they comprise the vast majority of authorized officers who are implementing the activities of the food control system at the ground level.

Food Legislation
In Sri Lanka the main law in Food Safety and Hygiene is the

Training
Food safety and Hygiene is one of the key duties of the Public Health Inspectors. 25 The curriculum of the Public Health Inspectors contains modules on food safety and hygiene which includes theory as well as field training. Food Inspectors wo are also Authorized Officers under the Food Act are appointed as a promotion from the Public Health Inspector post. Prior to appointment as Food Inspectors, the officers undergo a formal raining on food safety and hygiene. The Medical Officers of Health are also Authorized Officers. They age given training on food safety during the undergraduate training as well as during the in service Medical Officers of Heath training conducted by the National Institute of Health Sciences.

Perception of Authorized Officers
The in-depth interview of Public Health Inspectors on Food Control activities revealed that a majority are not satisfied with the current system and expect a major policy change in the entire food control system.

DISCUSSION
This study offers insight into the overall food control system in Sri Lanka and the perception of Public Health Inspectors who comprise the majority of authorized officers on the food control system. The study finding revealed that there is a Food Control System which is centered on the Ministry of Health. He Director General of Health Services act as the Chief food Authority and delegated the powers to the other authorities to implement the provisions of the Food Act. The Food Advisory Committee which is the policy level advisory body comprises of members representing all key stakeholders. However, when taking into the consideration of the current status of the food and safety in Sri Lanka it is questionable whether proper policy level decisions are taken and their implementation at the community level is ensured. The initial enactment, Food Act No.26 of 1980 is an comparatively old legislation and with the rapid development of food technology as well as the food trade, it is high time the Ministry of Health take immediate action to bring in a new legislation to be in par with the current global food technology, international and national food trade and consumer patterns. If not errant traders will utilize his loopholes in the legislation as well as the low monitory value of the fines to thi advantage. This will ultimately affect the consumers in a negative way. The study revealed that the perceptions of the Public Health Inspectors who are authorized officers under the Food Act was negative towards the present food control system as well as the training. The concerns raised by the Public Health Inspectors should be taken serious note of since they represent the majority of the authorized officers at the community level. The Ministry of Health should take steps to develop the food analytical service which are grossly inadequate at present. Capacity development of the human