Consumer Rights

As habitual, I turned to the online edition of my native country’s newspaper, for local news . While reading,I was drawn towards an article which I thought was creditable.It was a worthy act taken by Sri lanka's Health Ministry ,who has directed food manufacturers throughout the nation to take care when printing the date of production,the date of expiry and the ingredients used on the food and drink labels, which will be in effect from July.
From now on, manufacturers will have to strictly abide by the new regulations imposed by the Ministry when selling their manufactured goods.

The Health Ministry has also cautioned the public to keep vigilant on the sale of unhygienic and outdated canned food items and various soft drink products sold by supermarkets, groceries and other food outlets. This move will in fact make the consumers more watchful of what they purchase from the supermarkets or the grocers.They should take extra care to always check labels for the production and expiry dates. In addition,they must make it a point to read the labeled ingredients ,so that they will know if that particular product is good or harmful to them..They now have the right to report to relevant authorities any sale of unhygienic or outdated food stuffs in the supermarket. This step will also make the traders think twice about selling cheap and unhygenic food items with the intent of making quick cash.The risk of falling sick eating food which is outdated or unhygienic,is on a greater altitude, so consumers too should treat this warning as an eye opener .

E-Coli Is Back

Cucumbers exported from Spain to Germany have been contaminated with the E-coli bacteria, that’s what I have been reading lately.Now this gives me the goose bumps.This is the only vegetable my children eat without a fuss.They love it in their salad . This is freaking me out. After this disturbing news, I kept checking my refrigerator compartment to ensure there were no traces of dirt or dirty particles embedded in my stored cucumbers .I wash them well ,all of the vegetables. ‘Please conserve water ,don’t waste’ ,everyone cries! But how can we think of using water sparingly in a situation like this. As it is ,I wash and scrub these vegetables thoroughly if I use them in salads. It is alarming however to watch the food enthusiasts demonstrate on television their culinary know hows and cooking their favourite vegetables or meat, straight from the packet to the pan.When do they wash the vegetables or meat? How ever much they say the vegetables are hygienic, We got to wash them in clean running water once we bring it home from the grocers and just before cooking them.I remember ,there was this outbreak of E-coli in spinach leaves,a couple of years ago, We being miles away from the affected places stopped eating Spinach through fear. Now it’s back again ,this time tainting the cucumber the ones grown in Spain.
E.coli is short for Escherichia coli - a bacteria (germ) that causes severe cramps and diarrhea. Certain strains of E. coli, possibly create lethal toxins. Food poisoning by E. coli is usually caused by undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables , feces of infected people, and contaminated water. It also causes serious and life-threatening complications .The illness varies considerably;it can be fatal, particularly to the young and the elderly . This bacteria lives in the digestive tracts of animals and humans and most are typically harmless. They help our body break down and digest food. Nonetheless, some strains of E. coli can be very harmful and lead to grave infections that can make us sick quickly.