This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
On November 9, 2019, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) suspended the licenses of five millers and asked them to cease manufacturing or selling maize meals found to contain higher levels of aflatoxin than the recommended limits.
Carrefour, a retail chain in Kenya, has strongly rejected claims that it was aware of the impending investigation on bad maize flour. The supermarket claimed that it had planned a promotion for Dola flour weeks before the investigation was announced.
According to Carrefour, the promotion was carried out between November 1 and November 3, 2019. The supermarket stated that it was made aware of the investigation through the Retail Trade Association of Kenya (RETRAK) on Thursday, November 7, and immediately withdrew all the maize flour mentioned in a list by KEBS.
Carrefour said it would refund customers who had bought the bad flour and asked them to visit any of their branches with receipts or proofs of purchase. The millers whose licenses have been suspended include Kitui Flour Mills (Dola maize meal), Alpha Grain limited (Kifaru maize meal), Pan African Grain Millers (Starehe maize meal), Kenblest limited (210 Two Ten maize meal), and Kensalrise Limited (Jembe maize meal).
“Carrefour Kenya would like to inform its customers that the special promotion on Dola flour which was valid from November 1 until November 3, 2019, was negotiated with the supplier weeks ago without knowing the ongoing investigations from KEBS,” said the supermarket in a social media statement.
“All the maize flour concerned on KEBS today’s (November 9) press release has been withdrawn from the shelves preventively, as soon as Carrefour was made aware through RETRAK on Thursday, November 7,” added the statement.
