The Kenya Bureau of Standards on Wednesday, January 29 ordered the withdrawal of 17 brands of maize flour from shops and supermarkets, due to high aflatoxin levels that made them unsafe for human consumption.
In a statement by the authority, retailers were ordered to immediately withdraw the listed brands from retail outlets, warning that failure to comply could lead to legal action.
Top in the list of the unfit brands were Tetema and Dola manufactured by Eldoret Grains Limited which are now being banned for the second time after an earlier prohibition by Kebs in November 2019.
Others in the list include African King by African King Maize Millers, Unique by Ndosha Limited, Mlo by Bidii Limited, City Corn Maize Meal by Central Afya Bora Maize Millers and Sarafina Maize Meal by Century Millers.
The withdrawal also included Tosha Maize Meal by Godmesa Foods and Allied limited.
Ahiba Maize Meal, Hakika Best, Budget Maize Meal, Wema Maize Meal, Jomba by Machakos Millers and Adardere Mupa by Mbaitu Maize Milling were also blacklisted.
Afya Maize Meal, Uzima Maize Meal and Sungura Maize Meal by Sungura Unga Millers were also in the list of brands to be withdrawn from the market.
In the statement signed by the Kebs Director of Surveillance Peter Kaigwara, the decision was reached after thorough monitoring of different brands.
"While conducting its mandate of market surveillance, Kebs has tested maize meal brands and has found some of them to contain levels of aflatoxins higher than the requirement of the relevant Kenya Standard, making them unsafe for human consumption," read part of the statement.
On Twitter, the Retail Traders Association of Kenya (Retrak) confirmed receiving the orders from the standards body.
“This is an authentic letter from Kebs. We have been served with a copy of the same,” wrote Retrak.
In November 2019, Kebs banned five maize flour brands on the same grounds, a move that was later withdrawn after the companies improved on the safety of their brands.
The five brands were Kifaru by Alpha Grain Limited, 210 Two Ten by Kenblest Limited, Dola by Kitui Flour Mills, Starehe by Pan African Grain Millers and Jembe by Kensal Rise Limited.
Kebs stated that the ban followed market surveillance and multiple safety reports from members of the public.
"Kebs has noted that some brands of maize meal products offered for sale do not meet requirements," read the statement in 2019.
Kebs also moved to suspend the operation of the said manufacturers.
"The permits have been suspended and the manufacturers instructed to discontinue manufacturing or offering for sale the affected maize meal products." further read the statement.
