Apr 02, Colombo: The Consumer Affairs Authority says 55 samples of tested coconut oil samples now available at the local market are free of harmful chemicals.

Out of the 125 coconut oil samples taken by the Consumer Affairs Authority covering the entire island, 55 samples tested so far found to be free of the carcinogen Aflatoxin.

These samples, which include samples of well-known brands of coconut oil, were submitted to the University of Peradeniya and the Coconut Development Board for testing.

Director General of the Coconut Development Authority Dashitha Niroshana says people should not have any fear to consume the coconut oil now available in the local market. as there is no special problem with the samples that have been tested so far.

Meanwhile, qualitative tests conducted by the Industrial Technology Institute have confirmed for the third time that the coconut oil imported from several private companies and stored in warehouses contained the carcinogen Aflatoxin.

Previous tests by the Food Safety Unit of the Ministry of Health and the Sri Lanka Standards Institution have confirmed that these coconut oil stocks contain aflatoxin. The test results of the coconut oil samples taken from the warehouses were forwarded to the Consumer Affairs Authority by the Industrial Technology Institute yesterday (01).

The new gazette will be issued prohibiting the mixing of any edible oils with imported coconut oil. The Minister said in a statement that he had instructed to cancel the gazette notification issued in 2016 allowing the blending of other oils with imported coconut oil.