The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has taken more than 1,400 reusable plastic bottles and baby feeding bottles into custody following a series of islandwide inspections.

The CAA said 144 raids and inspections were conducted during a special programme last week, including 96 inspections involving reusable plastic bottles used to carry drinking liquids and 48 involving feeding bottles made from polymer materials.

The products are regulated under Direction No. 96, which came into effect on April 1, 2026. Reusable plastic bottles are required to comply with SLS 1616, while feeding bottles are covered by SLS 1306.

Locally manufactured products must carry the SLS Product Certification Mark issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution. The CAA stressed that simply claiming a locally manufactured product complies with the relevant standard is insufficient.

Imported products, however, are not required to carry the SLS mark. Instead, they must have been inspected and approved for sale under the SLSI Import Inspection Scheme.

The CAA said officers were also examining bills, invoices and supply information where necessary to trace products through retailers, suppliers and distributors to importers or manufacturers.

Consumers have been advised to check product information carefully when buying reusable plastic bottles and baby feeding bottles and to retain receipts. The public can report suspected non-compliant products to the CAA hotline 1977 during office hours.