Multinational company says it adheres to high quality standards
The Sunday Times approached one multinational company that produces coconut milk powder for a comment. A statement issued in response said that they buy coconuts from Sri Lanka and, that too, only three percent of what is available for sale.
All of the company’s suppliers, without exception, are registered with the Coconut Development Authority (CDA). “Further, they are required to adhere to our strict internal guidelines, where we adopt a comprehensive assessment scheme, including regular audits, to ensure compliance with our high quality standards.,” it said. “Compliance is non-negotiable and we guide suppliers with feedback, recommendations and corrective measures at every opportunity, even going so far as to discontinue working with suppliers who are not willing to meet our strict standards.”
“The CDA also conducts random audits and spot checks of our suppliers, to ensure strict compliance with local regulations and specifications,” the statement held. “We also encourage and assist our suppliers to obtain international quality certifications and set up their own quality control departments. As a result, all our coconut milk suppliers are ISO 22000 certified.”
The company’s coconut milk powder is Sri Lanka Standards-certified against the SLS-1309 Sri Lanka Standard for Coconut Milk Powder, it said. Thus, SLS conducted its own audits of the manufacturing process to ensure compliance with local hygiene and quality standards.
“In addition, since we export CMP to more than 50 countries, meeting international quality standards and specifications is a mandatory requirement,” the statement continued. “Our manufacturing facility also undergoes ISO audits since we are ISO 22000 certified.”
The company started producing coconut milk powder in the late 1980s, around the same time it began manufacturing dairy-based products, it pointed out. “The focus has not shifted since then, except to accelerate our support to coconut farmers in face of the recent issues around agro- nomic resiliency,” it said.
Work was being done in collaboration with the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) to help improve farmer livelihoods and coconut supply. “We are encouraging them to use coconut for their own (in-home) consumption, to meet domestic needs first,” the company maintained.
“We have been very outspoken about our desire to make a positive impact in the local community, not just in terms of supporting farmers but also in empowering consumers via transparent labelling,” it concluded. “Although not required by law, we voluntarily display the percentage of coconut milk used in our coconut milk powder on the packs.”