Sri Lanka orders whey protein products out of shelves

Sri Lankan health authorities today said that milk products containing whey protein have been ordered to be withdrawn from shops.
Palitha Maheepala, the Director General of Health Services said public health inspectors throughout the island have been told to pull such products off market shelves.
"I myself visited several food stores today and inspected the withdrawal of varieties of food containing whey protein", Maheepala said.
The decision followed an order issued last week by Maheepala in his capacity as the Head of the National Food Advisory Committee to ban milk products which carry Dicyandiamide (DCD), a farm chemical.
The order came after tests for DCD contamination of milk powder conducted by the local Industrial Technological Institute (ITI).

Fonterra, the New Zealand dairy giant, had expressed doubts about Sri Lanka's capability to test for DCD.

"As far we are concerned we will only recognise tests done at ITI," Maheepala stressed.
Sri Lanka last week ordered two batches of milk powder to be withdrawn from market for possible DCD contamination.
New Zealand has been Sri Lanka's major milk and milk product supplier in 2012. They enjoyed the larger market share out of over 300 million dollars worth of imports, the Central Bank off Sri Lanka figures have shown.