CLARIFICATION

With reference to the article titled “Ratmalana, Mount Lavinia Grocers, Hoteliers Warned Over Bad Food” published on the Metro page of Daily Mirror on May 21st, the lawyers of Messrs. Maxies and Company (Pvt) Limited has sent the following letter.

“We write on behalf of our client, Messrs. Maxies and Company (Pvt) Limited of Chilaw Road, Kosgashandiya, Wennappuwa with reference to the captioned matter.

Our client is a leading, well reputed supplier, inter alia, of chicken and poultry products in Sri Lanka and operates a state-of-the-art production facility supplying goods of high quality and hygiene. Our client also operates its own retail stores across the country, that supply their products under strict quality control and hygienic conditions to the general public. One such store is located at N0.205A, Galle Road, Mount Lavinia.

On or about 21st May 2019 your Daily Mirror newspaper on page A4, Metro Section, carried an article under a bold headline that read “RATMALANA, MOUNT LAVINIA GROCERS, HOTELIERS WARNED OVER BAD FOOD”. The words “BAD FOOD” were specially highlighted in yellow, large, uppercase font so as to stand out against a green background.

Immediately adjacent to the right of this headline was a photographic image of our client’s products bearing their trademarks, captured at their retail store aforesaid located at No. 205A, Galle Road, Mount Lavinia. The article published under this heading and authored by H.M. Dharmapala and Kusal Chamath of your organisation states that “a large stock of food unfit for human consumption was destroyed, and the traders who had violated sanitary regulations and food safety regulations were severely warned by the Health Authorities of Dehiwela - Mt. Lavinia during raids on more than 110 business establishments, including hotels, groceries, meatstalls, supermarkets, restaurants and snack bars in Ratmalana and Mount Lavinia areas” and proceeds to provide details of “raids” executed by the MOH against “unscrupulous traders”.

The article further draws reference to food items such as chicken that have been improperly stored in premises where sanitary conditions were poor and infested with “rats, cockroaches, flies and geckoes”. The purpose of the article, as amplified by the headline aforesaid, was to warn customers in Ratmalana and Mount Lavinia about such vendors supplying bad food unfit for human consumption.

While an inspection was carried out by Medical Officers of Health in many retail premises in the Mount Lavinia / Ratmalana area, including our client’s retail store aforesaid, we are instructed to emphasize that the inspecting team was fully satisfied and impressed by the health and hygiene conditions of our client’s retail store and by the quality of our client’s food products. There were no negative findings of any sort at our client’s store.”