The Consumer Affairs Authority has seized nearly 8,500 bottles of drinking water bearing a counterfeit SLS certification mark following a special raid in Avissawella, Ada Derana reported on Sunday.
Preliminary investigations found that the water had been produced at a manufacturing facility in Amithirigala, Ruwanwella, and stored at a warehouse in Avissawella, where officers carried out the raid.
Falsely labelled with a certificate number
Officials found that bottles of various sizes had been falsely labelled with the SLS certification mark and certificate number 894. The mark, issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, signals that a product has been tested against a national standard — a significant claim on bottled drinking water, where it speaks directly to whether the contents are safe to consume.
Investigators determined that the stock had not yet been released to the market but had been prepared for distribution. Officers sealed and took the bottles into custody during the raid.
The Consumer Affairs Authority said legal action will be taken against those responsible once further investigations are complete. Ada Derana’s report did not name the manufacturer or the warehouse operator, and no arrests were announced.
A sustained enforcement run
The seizure continues a heavy stretch of CAA activity this month. The authority recently filed lawsuits against 84 retailers over imported goods, fined traders over helmets and infant formula, and seized animal medicines in a separate operation.
Falsified standards marks have featured in that run before. In an earlier joint operation with the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the authority raided a canned fish operation in Pannala.
Ada Derana was the only verified newsroom carrying the Avissawella seizure as of Sunday afternoon.
