The Hon. Ajith Gihan

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, my first supplementary question is this: As citizens, we all want to consume good quality, poison‑free food. Our country was recently identified as one of the countries in Asia with high pesticide residues in food. While you explained measures to protect consumers, we know that for certain foods standards are not followed. You mentioned coconut oil. For vegetables and fruits, there are pre‑harvest intervals, yet chemicals and agro‑chemicals are applied disregarding them. We need a structured approach to check these. Also, meat is displayed in open stalls for hours with flies, raising public health and tourism concerns. Will you introduce stronger regulation to ensure good food for our people, and bring cosmetics, foods and other items under enforceable standards?