Sri Lanka: Pictorial Warnings on Cigarette Packs in Two Months

Source from:  The Island  03/21/2014

The Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases in Lower-Middle-Income Countries - Sri Lanka Approach was held at Sea Breeze Hotel in Beruwala on Tuesday (18). Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena exchanging some documents on NCDs with WHO country Representative Dr. F.R. Metha.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said on Tuesday that smoking killed about 21,000 people in Sri Lanka annually. He said pictorial warnings would be printed on packets of cigarettes after two months.

Addressing the WHO Asia-Pacific Region Conference on "Non-Communicable Diseases in Lower-Middle Income countries - Sri Lanka's Approach to NCDs" held at Sea Breeze Hotel Beruwala, Minister Sirisena pointed out that apart from smoking, the Sri Lankan government had focused its attention on minimising the use of sugar, wheat flour and salt in essential food items as NCD was spreading all over the country. Junk food sold at eateries was found to be harmful to human beings. Many raids had been conducted to nab errant traders who used various harmful ingredients in food, the minister said..

WHO Sri Lanka Representative Dr. F. R. Metha said that Sri Lanka had been trying to minimise NCDs by imposing legal guidelines on food traders. It had set an example. It was the duty of the other South Asian nations to follow that example to minimise such NCDs. Enditem