This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
July 15, 2019 - A recent expose by NTV has revealed that unsuspecting Kenyans are buying poisonous meat from different supermarkets across the country laced with Sodium Metabisulfite, a chemical used to preserve food products if used in the right amounts.
The expose, titled Red Alert, revealed that a number of unidentified retail chains in the country use the chemical to stop meat from going bad before the same meat is repackaged and put on display and couched as “fresh and juicy” meat.
According to a whistle blower, an employee of one of the supermarkets in the country, meat section employees are compelled to use the chemical to preserve the meat, repackage it and sell it again. If the meat is still not sold five days after it is laced, it is used to prepare different meals sold in the same supermarkets.
“It is a sin for the meat to go bad in our watch as that is considered a loss. We try to minimize losses by adding the chemical on minced meat or diced beef,” said the whistle blower.
Tests conducted on three meat samples bought from three different supermarkets revealed that the meat contained more than 500 mg of the chemical. The first sample contained 550.4 mg of Sodium Metabulsifite, the second sample contained 547.2 mg of the chemical, while the third sample contained 545.4 mg of the chemical.
Experts have warned that consuming such meat can lead to serious health risks, including respiratory problems, cancer, and allergic reactions. Dr. Martha Mwangi, an anatomic pathologist at CrystalLab Pathologists and Diagnostics, said that any amount of Sodium Metabisulfite above 500mg in a food substance is dangerous and may lead to side effects.
