Five months after clearing Nuteez Peanut Butter to return to the Kenyan market, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has now banned the Jetlak Foods Limited product from hitting retail shelves.
The regulator banned the product in February over claims that it contained dangerous levels of aflatoxin.
On Monday, KEBS, in a press statement announced that it has banned the product once again alongside 6 other brands over the same claim, that they contain high levels of the poisonous carcinogen.
True nuts produced by Truenutz Kenya, Fressy by Fressy Food Company Limited and Supameal by Supacosm Products Limited have all been ordered off the shelf.
Sue Naturals by Nature’s Way Wealth, Zesta by Trufoods Limited and Nutty by Nature produced by Target Distributors have also been deemed unfit for consumption by the Kenyan population.
“The suspension follows test results undertaken by KEBS which confirm that their levels of aflatoxin is higher than the maximum limit allowed by the Standard,” reads the press dispatch sent to newsrooms by KEBS.
The Kenya Standard, ‘KS EAS 60: 2013, Peanut Butter – Specification’ states that the maximum total aflatoxin content, is 15 parts per billion (ppb) and gives maximum value for Aflatoxin B1 5 ppb maximum.
Read: Govt Warns of New Aflatoxin Outbreak
According to KEBS, the manufacturers have been instructed to put in place corrective actions in their processes to ensure that their products comply with the quality specifications in the standard. Once the correction is confirmed, “the suspension will be lifted”.
“Consequently, KEBS has also suspended these companies permits which allows them to use the standardization mark and has also directed these firms to recall all their products in the market,” further reads the statement.
KEBS further says that it will continue to undertake surveillance of the products at the factory and market to ensure that the public is protected from harmful products.
Flip-Flop KEBS
While giving the Nuteez brand a clean bill of health in April, KEBS said the manufacturer had cooperated with the agency leading to the evaluation of its quality control measures during the production of peanut butter.
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“That the manufacturer has also addressed the gaps that were identified with regard to control of incoming raw materials, production process and final product testing,” read a statement by KEBS ” In view of the above measures, suspension of the Standardization Mark permit no. 965 for Peanut Butter branded Nuteez has been lifted,”.
