KEBS: No Cause For Alarm Following Indomie Ban In Rwanda, Egypt
Written by RadioVuna on May 13, 2022
Even though Indomie instant noodles have been prohibited in other countries, including Rwanda and Egypt, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) maintains there is no need to be worried.
KEBS is certain that the items recalled in Egypt and those in Kenya are unrelated.
Fast-food staple Indomie instant noodles will be the focus of bio chemical testing at KEBS in Nairobi for the next four days as they race against time to give data on the product’s safety.
Ag. Head of testing at KEBS Tom Oduor states “We have received 94 instant noodles samples from our market surveillance teams, and at the time the tests requests are on two, that is pesticide residues and aflatoxins.”
After Egypt’s Food and Safety Authority issued a recall of the chicken, chilli, and vegetable varieties of the product owing to high levels of aflatoxins and pesticide residues, the Food and Drug Administration ordered safety testing on the product.
The Competition Commission of the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) has also expressed concerns about the importation and marketing of comparable items in other member states, including Kenya.
“Our local maker of Indomie instant noodles is Salim Wazaran, and we do not import any items from Egypt,” stated KEBS Managing Director Lt. Col. (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini. The firm that makes this product sources its raw materials locally and imports some, but the brand or trademark is obviously a franchise.
Rwanda, which imports the instant noodles from Kenya, has also banned the items due to safety concerns, which it received from the COMESA Competition Commission.
In view of the recent recalls in other countries, the Food and Drugs Authority Ghana declared on May 10 that they had taken samples from the production plant for testing.
People were told not to eat noodles that bore the “Ladha Ya Kuku” brand name since they are not recognized products in Ghana, according to the Ghanaian Food and Drugs Authority.
Preliminary findings from KEBS, however, are positive.
Preliminary findings reveal no excess aflatoxins beyond the 10 ppb minimum requirement,” stated. The Lt. Colonel.
“However, for pesticides, the testing will take a little longer.”
Due to the time it takes to prepare one sample. Also, pesticide residues don’t refer to a single pesticide but rather to a large population of roughly 80 pesticides that were applied to a single specimen.
Large doses of pesticide may cause acute poisoning or long-term health impacts, including cancer and reproductive harm, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We’ll be required to remove these goods off our shelves if the worst-case situation arises, according to KEBS.”
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