Red Alert Report By NTV’s Dennis Okari, revealed the health danger that some supermarkets have been subjecting its customers to with an excess chemical used as a preservative in its meat products. So much uproar on social media saw health official swing into action to protect consumers further harm from meat products with excess Sodium Metabisulfite.
“Following my directive to the office of inspector general, samples have been collected from retail outlets. The results reveal that 15% of the samples have fallen short of the expectation confirming residues of sulfites. Following the Red Alert report. I have therefore instructed that the facilities whose products are questionable be closed henceforth and legal action will be be taken against them,” said Health CS Sicily Kariuki.
Naivas Supermarket on Thursday suspended the sale of red meat across all its stores countrywide hours after Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua ordered the closure of its butchery sections in the county. This move prompted Health officials in Nairobi County to close down six meat retailers after tests in the national laboratories revealed harmful amounts of preservatives in their stock.
“The requirement is that the preservatives be used in limited amounts but these shops went ahead and exceeded the amounts. Those are some of the things that will affect people’s lives,” said Nairobi Health CEC Mohammed Dagane.
Among them Muthaiga Fine Meats Limited, Tuskys Buruburu, Naivas Mavoko and Tuskys Kenyatta Avenue whose meat stock had a whole 63326 mg/kg of the Sodium Metabisulfite excess from the standard 50 mg/kg. According to the Nairobi County’s deputy director, public health, Mr Kenneth Maina, sodium bisulfite is a permissible food preservative but the limit must not be exceeded and must be indicated on the packaging for the customer to decide whether to buy meat with preservatives or without.
The taskforce is still investigating meat samples from 40 supermarkets which are currently undergoing laboratory tests. Key officials the supermarkets will appear before the court.