Another shocker has hit the Ugali-eating fraternity after the Kenya Bureau Of Standards (KEBS) suspended five maize flour products over high levels of aflatoxin.
Some of the products suspended have been household names and have been on the shelves for years, with more than 60 percent of Kenyan households who use Ugali using them.
The maize flour banned from the market include:
- Dola Maize Meal
- Kifaru Maize Meal
- Starehe Maize Meal
- 210 Two Ten Maize Meal
- Jembe Maize Meal
Of the five banned maize meal products, Dola, Kifaru and Jembe are the most common and the most preferred by most Kenyans due to their low prices compared to others.
Here is a statement from KEBS banning the maize meal products:
KEBS also issued a statement warning Kenya against purchasing the products and calling on the manufacturers to recall the products as soon as possible.
The ban on maize meal products comes a few days after KEBS banned five other butter products over high levels of aflatoxin.
As the ban comes into effect, Kenyans will have to look for other alternatives, especially those in urban areas where the price of maize flour has started spiking.
For instance, Jembe and Dola were retailing at between 110 and 125 shillings at the time of the ban. Another product (not banned), Amaize Maize Meal is now retailing at 159 shillings, up from 140 shillings.