Millers protest Kebs move to ban maize flour brands
Cereal Millers Association has criticized the Kenya Bureau of Statistics (Kebs) for banning the sale of 27 flour brands on grounds that they were non-compliant with the required standards.
In a statement on Sunday, the Association said the bureau should have followed due process, by first reaching out to the affected millers to verify, validate results for each specific batch and resolve matters expeditiously prior to going public.
“This would have been the most effective way of dealing with the matter, ensuring that it doesn’t happen again and making sure proper recall procedures for specific batches rather than in its entirety were followed to get the products off the shelf as effectively as possible,” the millers said.
“It is unfortunate that some of our millers who appeared in the press release have still not been informed about why they were ‘non-compliant.”
Kebs said out of the 27, 12 are Maize brands while 15 are porridge brands.
The maize brands blacklisted included; Budget, Equatorial Ugali Afya, Fahali, Family, and Pembe flour.
Others are; Riri, Sima Tamu, Tupike, Ugali Bora, Unga Sawa, Uwezo and Ziwa.
Blacklisted porridge brands include; Soko Wimbi Mix, Winnies Pure Health-Ugali Afya, Greenhouse Pride Polished Wimbi with Milk Powder, Golden Porridge Flour Sour Uji Mix, Najah Nutrition Food Family Porridge, Natasha Porridge, Excellent Nutritious Porridge.
Others are; Split Peas Flour Unga Wa Bhajia, Generation Wimbi Porridge Flour, Famila Natures Food The Original Ujimix (sour porridge), Rest Food Products Afya Bora Kinara Porridge, Narisha Plus, Rimwambi Soya Porridge Mix, and Wimbi Safi Marss.
Kebs says it is committed to working closely with the affected manufacturers to ensure that such non-compliances do not recur.
“Upon satisfactory resolution and conclusion of the issues, KEBS shall then inform the public once the products have met the requirements of the Kenya Standards,” the bureau said Saturday.
The public is asked to report products that do not have the S-Mark permit by sending the code underneath the S-Mark to 20023 to get details on the product.
If the details are different, invalid, or not traceable to the platform, those affected are asked to report to Kebs through Toll-Free Number 1545 during official working hours.