Rwanda has banned imports of Kenyan-made chicken flavoured Indomie brand of noodles amid claims of health concerns over their safety.
This comes at a time when the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) is yet to issue a statement on the safety of Indomie which has not been recalled.
Kebs said last week it was investigating the safety of the product after some were withdrawn from supermarket shelves in the Egyptian market a fortnight ago.
Rwanda has banned imports of Kenyan-made chicken flavoured Indomie brand of noodles amid claims of health concerns over their safety.
Rwanda Food and Drug Authority has started an inspection into this food brand even as it has directed importers of the product to stop distributing it in the country.
This comes at a time when the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) is yet to issue a statement on the safety of Indomie which has not been recalled.
Kebs said last week it was investigating the safety of the product after some were withdrawn from supermarket shelves in the Egyptian market a fortnight ago.
“While the inspection continues all distributors and retailers in possession of the above-mentioned products are requested to stop distribution and quarantine all quantities in their stores until the investigation is concluded,” The Times of Rwandan reported on Sunday.
Egyptian authorities said last month that 733,340 cartons of different Indomie product flavours have been withdrawn from the market after they were found to contain “proportion of aflatoxins and pesticide residues that exceed the safe limits allowed for human consumption”.
Kebs managing director Bernard Njiraini told the Business Daily last week that samples of the noodle products by Indomie sold in the Kenyan market would be tested for safety before a decision is taken on them.
The Egyptian Public Authority for Food Safety said it singled out the chilli product and the flavors of chicken and vegetables for human consumption.
Indomie is a popular brand of instant noodles.
Salim Wazaran Kenya –a subsidiary of Indofood the world's largest instant noodle maker– produces and distributes the product in the local market.
COMESA commission
The Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition Commission (CCA) warned that similar products as those flagged by Egyptian authorities are being imported and marketed in member States that include Kenya.
“The Commission would like therefore to alert the general public of the risks in consuming above Indomie instant noodles as established by the FSA and to exercise caution on the consumption of the same,” said CCA.
