The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) sought to reassure consumers about the safety of imported edible oils on Wednesday following “recent media reports regarding the alleged importation of unfit edible oil.”
“We would like to assure the public that KEBS is committed to ensuring the safety and quality of ALL locally manufactured and imported products into the country,” the agency said in a statement.
KEBS said it uses a pre-export verification program to confirm imported goods adhere to Kenyan regulations and standards before they enter the country.
This conformity assessment conducted in the exporting nation “guarantees that imported products meet the required standards before entering the Kenyan market, safeguarding consumer safety and promoting fair trade practices,” the agency said.
As part of this protocol, KEBS routinely samples and re-inspects goods accompanied by Certificates of Conformity at ports of entry, including recent edible oil shipments imported by the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC), according to the statement.
“From the tests done, the edible oil complied with all the health and safety parameters of the applicable Kenya Standard,” KEBS said. However, sampled oils “did not meet the Vitamin A levels specified in the Kenyan Standard,” which the agency communicated to KNTC.
KEBS noted that vitamin levels “is not a health and safety parameter.” The agency did not provide further details about the edible oil shipments in question.
