VIDEO: ITI rejects claims it does not have necessary tools for DCD testing
August 14, 2013 03:12 am
The Industrial
Technology Institute (ITI) totally rejected claims that it does not have the
necessary technical tools or the knowledge to test imported milk powder for
dicyandiamide or DCD.
Speaking
exclusively to TV Derana on the Wada Pitiya Programme, Director of ITI Sirimal
Premakumara stated that ITI’s credentials in testing any product for DCD is
accepted worldwide.
He explained
that the tests were conducted on the direction of the Health Ministry and that
it conducted over a period of about two months.
Premakumara said
that ITI was able to detect poisonous toxins in a consignment of dhal imported
from Australia and that no other country had that level of technical knowledge
at the time which was even highlighted on an Australian website.
He added that
ITI was committed to safeguarding the public from consuming harmful products.
President of
the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya who
also joined the debate stated that Sri Lanka was fourth in the world in terms
of importing milk powder while around US $40 billion is spent on milk powder
imports.
He pointed out
that Sri Lanka does not have a food policy which should be prioritised.
Dr. Damayanthi
Perera, a leading Nutritionist joined the debate as well stating that whey protein
was a liquid that is discarded in the process of producing milk powder. Various
chemicals are added to it in order to make cheese and butter while it is then sold
to the public under the marketing guise of being highly nutritional.
Dr. Perera
added that western countries are well aware of this and that multi-national
corporations were engaged in this strategy alongside their milk powder sales.
Chairman of the
Nature’s Secret organization, Samantha Kumarasinghe suggested that legal action
should be taken against those who claimed that ITI did not have the expertise
to test the products for DCD.
He charged that
these parties had interests other than public safety and were only focussed on
making profits adding that the public should stand up against the interference
of various multi-national corporations.
