This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, a crackdown on meat sections in Nairobi's major supermarkets led to the shutdown of six butcheries.
The Nairobi County Government, in collaboration with health officials, closed the meat sections after samples were found to contain excessive levels of Sodium Metabisulfite, a harmful additive.
The affected supermarkets include Tuskys Supermarket along Kenyatta Avenue, Tuskys Buruburu, Naivas Gateway Mall, The Point Naivas Limited Buruburu, and Muthaiga Fine Meat Limited.
County Health Executive Mohammed Dagane stated that a task force had been formed to sample meat products from over 40 supermarkets in the city.
“We have shut down the six after samples showed that they have extremely dangerous levels of preservatives. We are planning to arraign officials from these supermarkets in court,” Dagane said.
Deputy Director of Public Health Wilson Lang'at emphasized that the crackdown would extend to butcheries and eateries within Nairobi, with a focus on labeling raw meat products that contain preservatives.
The operation followed an investigative report by NTV, dubbed #RedAlert, which exposed the use of unmeasured amounts of Sodium Metabisulfite preservative in meat products.
On the same day, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua shut down the meat sections of all Naivas Supermarket outlets in the county after a laboratory test revealed high levels of preservative in a sample of meat sold at Naivas Supermarket Gateway Mall.
