This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
On November 9, 2019, the Kenya Bureau of Standards issued a warning about high levels of aflatoxins in some maize flour products, prompting Kitui Flour Mills to take action.
As of Sunday, the company had recalled 48,000 packets of its 2-kg Dola brand maize flour, with operations ongoing to remove the product from the market.
General Manager Ahmed Taib stated that the company has also stopped receiving maize from suppliers until they receive clearance from the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Alpha Grain Limited, the manufacturer of Kifaru Maize Meal, has also denied any involvement in the alleged contamination, citing test results that showed lower levels of aflatoxins than the allowed maximum limit.
Lab technicians at Kitui Flour Mills use the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) machine to test aflatoxin levels in terms of parts-per-billion (ppb), with the maximum allowed levels being 10 ppb and the company's products showing much lower levels of 1.5 ppb.
