Avoid this popular maize flour brand like a plague as government tests reveal it is poisonous – Look!

 

Sunday, May 19, 2024 – The Government of President William Ruto, through the Ministry of Health, has flagged a well-known maize flour brand in the country, after tests conducted on various packs established that it is poisonous as it contained high levels of aflatoxins.

In a letter addressed to all public health officers and CEO of the Council of Governors (CoG), Dr. Patrick Amoth, the Acting Director General for Health, revealed that the tests had showed that the aflatoxin levels were 714ppb, which was deemed to be way above the recommended levels of 10.0ppb.

"In order to safeguard the health of the consumers, you are required to seize all existing stock in the market of the said brand for disposal," reads part of the letter.

As such, Dr. Amoth advised all County Public Health Officers to scale up surveillance of all food products in the market to ensure that counterfeit or toxic food items are not consumed by Kenyans.

In Nairobi, the County Public Health Officers were asked to carry out an inspection and immediately stop the milling of the specified flour brand and subsequent distribution.

All the officials were urged to adhere to the law while carrying out this directive. To that end, Dr. Amoth listed the Food Drugs and Chemical Substances Act Cap 254 and the Public Health Act Cap 242 as the regulations that needed to be adhered to.

"Expedite action and furnish the Division of Food Safety through the specified contact details with updates and actions taken on the same.

“Thank you for your continuous support," the medic added.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), long-term exposure to excess aflatoxins can lead to acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) and can be life-threatening, usually through damage to the liver.

The Kenyan DAILY POST