STO assures its products are safe

State Trading Organisation (STO) has assured that its rice, flour, and sugar shipments are tested before they are sold, and rejected if any problem is discovered.

Managing Director Ahmed Shaheer said this at a press conference yesterday, in relation to rumours on social media that STO recently sold products from a damaged shipment.

Shaheer said that damaged shipments are returned after negotiations with suppliers and insurance companies.

He said that the quality of rice, flour, and sugar sold by STO is better than that sold in other countries in the South Asian region, and that STO’s products adhere to Codex standards - a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety.

He further explained that problems are discovered in shipments every now and then, including five containers that arrived in July which were damaged due to a problem with the temperature control system.

These containers have been set aside in a warehouse, not to be sold later, but to be returned after negotiations with the supplier and the insurance company, said Shaheer.