Not Fit for Consumption: KEBS bans 17 Maize Flour Brands over High Aflatoxin Levels

17 maize flour brands have been banned by the Kenya Bureau of Standard as they have high levels of Aflatoxin.

The quality agency, warned the public against the consumption of the maize flour brands whose Aflatoxin levels, according to a statement dated January 29, 2020, are higher than the maximum limit.

The banned brands are African King, Unique, MLO, City Corn, Sarafina, Tosha, Shiba, Hakika Best, Budget, Wema, Jomba, Adardere Mupa, Afya, Uzima, Tetema, and Dola.

KEBS stated, “While conducting its mandate of Market Surveillance, KEBS has tested maize meal brands and has found some of them contain levels of Aflatoxin higher than the requirement of the relevant Kenya standard making them unsafe for human consumption.”

Supermarkets countrywide have been directed by the agency to take the products off the shelves.

Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus fungi, that are found on crops such as maize, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts and thrive in warm and humid regions of the world which according to the Cancer National Institute of the US, they cause liver cancer.