It will be mandatory for manufacturers to obtain the Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) certification for plastic items such as feeding bottles and lunch boxes used by schoolchildren before releasing them to the market, the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe has announced.

The regulation will come into effect from April 01, 2026.

Participating in a media conference at the Ministry, Minister Samarasinghe further stated that from April 01, 2026, the sale of products that do not comply with the prescribed standards will be strictly prohibited.

The Minister noted that plastic bottles used for feeding milk to children, as well as lunch boxes and water bottles used by schoolchildren, are currently available in the market at varying prices. However, he further pointed out that a number of these products neither carry the prescribed standard certification nor any indication of their suitability for use.

According to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), research suggests some of the products in the market at present contain carcinogens.

Considering this situation, the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development has taken steps to ban the manufacture and sale of substandard plastic products intended for storing food and liquids with effect from April 01, 2026.

Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe emphasised that from April 01, 2026 obtaining the SLS certification for the relevant products will be mandatory.