Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Ambassadors

Dr. Viduranga Waisundara
Deputy Principal
Australian College of Business & Technology
Kandy Campus, 670/5, Peradeniya Road,
Kandy, Sri Lanka

A.L. Chathudina Janitha Liyanage
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Food Science and Technology, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka,
Belihuloya, Sri Lanka

Ambassador’s Reports

Dr. Viduranga Waisundara: Given the health and regulatory context of food and nutritional aspects in Sri Lanka, my primary objective as a GHI Ambassador is to help create an enabling environment for healthier nutrient profiles and cultivation of proper food habits among the local population. In addition, I hope to stimulate voluntary initiatives on nutrient profiles, as well as bring together local and global partners to enhance consumer awareness on the importance of proper interpretation and implementation of regulations and the acceptance of technical solutions with proper scientific evidence.

A.L. Chathudina Janitha Liyanage: My main objective as one of the Sri Lankan Ambassadors to GHI is to coordinate with the GHI board to build a national platform (a web portal) to educate and disseminate the key information related to the role of harmonization of food safety and nutrition related regulations and legislations to all stakeholders i.e. food industry, academia, research and development institutes, professional associations, governmental organizations, NGOs and especially to the general consumers in Sri Lanka.
As the lack of consensus among stakeholders and lack of public engagement are hindrances to achieve harmonization, I envisage that such a national focal point on GHI promoted activities can greatly influence national policy makers, regulators, and legislators to recognize the significance of science-based evidence in their decision-making process to support food sector innovation and global trade. This approach will enable all stakeholders to benefit from resilient international food safety regulatory systems adapting to emerging challenges and innovation in a harmonized, timely, and transparent manner. Furthermore, I aspire to assist in expanding the GHI network in Sri Lanka by promoting the role of GHI as a reliable international point of reference for harmonized food safety regulations, in local meetings, symposia and conferences.
I am currently serving as the Regional Co-Chair (Asia) of the GHI’s Consumer Perception Working Group.

Activities and Presentations

Dr. Viduranga Waisundara:


Dr. Viduranga Waisundara, GHI Ambassador to Sri Lanka, gave a talk about the need for global harmonization of food safety regulations in June 2015 at the 14th ASEAN Food Conference in Pasay City, Philippines.



Dr. Viduranga Waisundara, GHI Ambassador to Sri Lanka, provided information about GHI in her presentation at the International Conference of Traditional and Complementary Medicine on Health 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan.



Title: Adding Scientific Evidence to the Plant-Based Anti-Diabetic Remedies of Ayurveda
Conference: 2nd International Conference on Traditional and Complementary Medicine on Health
26 October 2015 | Taipei, Taiwan

A.L. Chathudina Janitha Liyanage:

Delivering a talk on ‘black soldier fly-based biowaste processing’ at the ISEKI_Food 2018 Conference in Stuttgart, Germany.



Delivering a talk on ‘EPS-producing LAB isolated from sauerkraut as functional yoghurt starters’ at the Central European Food Congress 2018 in Sibiu, Romania.



Delivering a talk on ‘food safety related risk factors of street food vending in Sri Lanka’ at the at the International Conference on Food Factors (ICoFF) 2015 in Seoul, Korea.


Title: An Internet of Things (IoT)-based real-time monitoring and notification system for food safety and traceability applications
Conference: 21st IUFoST World Congress of Food Science & Technology, 31 Oct-3 Nov 2022, Singapore

Title: IoT-Blockchain Enabled Food Safety Decision Support System for the Manufactures and the Regulatory Authorities in the Dairy Sector in Sri Lanka
Conference: IAFP Annual Meeting, 18-21 July 2021, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Title: Identification of food safety issues and a framework for hygiene practices of street-vended food – A Sri Lankan example (Invited Talk at the GHI Session)
Conference: 19th World Congress of Food Science and Technology, 23-27 Oct 2018, Mumbai, India

Title:Food safety-related risk factors of street food vending: a case study from Sri Lanka
Conference: International Conference on Food Factors (ICoFF), 22-25 Oct 2015, Seoul, South Korea

Publications

Dr. Viduranga Waisundara:
Chapter: Safety of Fermented Fish Products
Authors: Viduranga Waisundara, Nilakshi Jayawardena, and Mindani Watawana
Book Title: Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods
Publication and Date: December 2015 | Elsevier Academic Press

A.L. Chathudina Janitha Liyanage:
Chapter: Traditional and ethnic foods of Sri Lanka—safety aspects
Author: Chathudina J. Liyanage
Book Title: Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in South Asian Countries
Publication and Date: 2020, Elsevier Academic Press