Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe stated that strict legal action will be taken, starting April 1st of next year, against vendors selling fruit containing toxic substances.
The Minister made these remarks while attending the launch of the national program titled “Fruit Free from Toxins for Children,” held in Colombo today (01). The Minister stated that, starting October 1st, a program will be launched to register and raise awareness among all fruit shops and wholesale distributors across the island; this initiative aims to educate traders on practices such as toxin-free fruit ripening, proper harvesting from farms, and safe distribution to consumers, while integrating them into the program.
He further noted that, under this initiative, steps will be taken by next March to identify businesses selling toxin-free fruit through the Consumer Affairs Authority and issue them a special certification.
Additionally, plans are in place to map fruit shops across the island and introduce a new digital system that allows consumers to easily locate outlets selling toxin-free fruit via QR codes.