The Health Services Trade Union Alliance today said it will take legal action against New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Ltd seeking a court order to suspend all dairy products manufactured by the company from being released to the Sri Lankan market.

Chairman of the Health Services Trade Union Alliance, Saman Ratnapriya said the case would be filed within this week and that they had resorted to this method as these companies do not accept what medical officers, the Director General of Heath or even Ministers say. 

The Health Ministry had halted the release of all imported dairy products containing whey protein from the port. However, we see that this ban has not been properly implemented as super markets and other stores across the island continue to sell these products, Ratnapriya said.

He stated that it is the duty of the Health Ministry to prevent the consumption of these dairy products which contain whey ingredient with a bacteria that can cause botulism.

He stated that hospitals in the country provide patients with food items such as yogurts which also contain whey protein contaminated with the bacteria C. botulinum and that this should be halted immediately.   

Saman Ratnapriya further charged that despite the ban imposed by the Health Ministry after Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) had detected that the milk powder contained the dangerous fertiliser chemical dicyandiamide (DCD), the Fonterra company continues to mislead the public by claiming that their product is 100% healthy. 

They completely disregard the consumers of Sri Lanka and act only seek to earn profits, he said.

Despite an interim order preventing Fonterra from advertising any of its products as 100% perfect, we see that they continue to do so through print and electronic media and they have even gone so far as to issue hand bills through shop, he said.

“In one way this is contempt of court,” the trade union leader said.