A new initiative is being taken to provide safe fruits to the public in Sri Lanka. As part of this, a QR coding system is going to be introduced so that consumers can easily identify fruits that are produced and sold without the use of toxic chemicals.
Commerce Minister Vasantha Samarasinghe has said that strict legal action will be taken against traders who sell fruits containing toxic substances from the 1st of April. He said this while participating in the inaugural event of the national program “Noxious Fruits for Children” held in Colombo.
Various awareness activities have been carried out in the past regarding the safe use of fruits and vegetables. However, the average consumer is not always sure how the fruits available in the market were produced and what methods were used to ripen them.
QR coding will be introduced to provide a solution to this problem with the help of technology. If this identification code is found at a particular trading post, the consumer can easily know that non-poisonous fruits are being sold at that point.
New rules for fruit traders and wholesale distributors
As part of the new scheme, registration of fruit traders and wholesale distributors across the country has been initiated. They will be given awareness and training on safe handling of fruits.
These trainings will cover practices related to natural ripening of fruits, methods to be followed during harvesting and safe distribution of fruits to consumers.
A fruit goes through several stages before reaching the market. The fruits harvested from the agricultural land are collected first. They are then transported to wholesalers and from there reach the public through small retailers.
Fruit quality can suffer if proper procedures are not followed at each of these stages. Officials are particularly concerned about whether unapproved or harmful chemicals are being used to speed up ripening of fruits that should ripen naturally.
Thus, registration of fruit sellers and providing them with proper guidelines will play an important role in this scheme.
It has also been informed that steps will be taken to identify the commercial outlets selling non-poisonous fruits by the coming March. Traders so identified are to be issued with a special certificate by the Consumer Affairs Authority.
This is expected to create a reliable identification system between fruit sellers and consumers.
Information available to consumers through QR codes
QR coding is seen as the main feature of this new project. Fruit shops across the country will be mapped and shops selling non-poisonous fruits will be given a unique QR code.
In today’s technology-savvy environment, consumers may be able to access a store’s authentication information through a QR code. Thus, the customer visiting the shop can check the official identification issued in respect of the fruits sold there.
Parents pay more attention to the safety of fruits bought especially for children. As children continue to include fruit in their diet, it is seen as important to ensure that it is produced and marketed in a safe manner.
Related to this is the objective of the National Program on “Toxic Fruits for Children”. One of the objectives of such programs may be to provide safe food to children and increase awareness of food responsibility in society.
However, it does not mean that every fruit sold in a store issued with a QR code has been individually inspected. It is important that official procedures and certification regulations regarding this identification system are clearly implemented.
Awareness is also necessary on the part of the consumer. Rather than just looking at the presence of a QR code and assuming that there is no need to pay extra attention to the quality of the product, it is useful to look at the fruit’s appearance, quality, storage method and cleanliness of the outlet.
Meanwhile, the minister said that strict legal action will be taken against those who sell fruits containing toxic substances from the 1st of April. It has also been informed that the procedures for this will be carried out as per relevant gazette notifications.
These measures, if properly implemented, can promote safe practices in the fruit marketing sector. At the same time it is necessary for everyone from farmers to wholesalers, small traders and consumers to understand their responsibilities.
Fruit safety is an issue related to food safety not only for children but also for people of all ages. Therefore, how the new QR coding system is implemented, how many traders are included in it, and what actions are taken against traders who violate the norms will be important aspects to watch out for in the future.