10 cooking oils have been suspended by the Kenya Bureau of Standards for failing to meet the required health standards.
The cooking oil brands include Fri mate, Fresh Fry, Fresh fri with garlic Rina, Gold and Pure Olive Gold, Postman, Rina, Salit, Tilly and Top Fry.
The KEBS Director for Market Surveillance Peter Kaigwara however told Retail Traders Association of Kenya (RETRAK)the move was temporary so that the brands can take effective corrective actions on their oils.
“Kindly note that this is not a ban on the brands but a temporary suspension to allow the manufacturers of the non-compliant brands to initiate and put in place effective corrective action under KEGS supervision to ensure that the non-compliant brands comply with the requirements of the respective Kenya Standards and Standards Act Cap 496, Laws of Kenya before being allowed back into the market,”Kaigwara said.
The mentioned products are now required to be withdrawn from shelves of supermarkets and shops. They will be allowed back after being verified once again once they undergo corrective measures..
“The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention the below listed brands of non-compilant edible oils and fats that failed to meet the requirements of the standard and to request your good office to notify your members to recall these brands and remove them from the supply chain from your members outlets across the country,” the KEBS director further said.
KEBS however advised Kenyans on how they can establish if the cooking oils they use have been certified.
“One should send the code (numbers) underneath the Standardization Mark logo to 20023 (i.e. type message SM# Code or ISM#code, for local and imported products respectively, and SMS to 20023) to get product manufacturing details and permit validity status.
“If the details are different, invalid or not traceable to the platform, retailers should not purchase, stock or offer for sale the products but instead report to KEBS through toll-free number 1545 during official working hours 8 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm from Monday to Friday,” KENS said.
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