Following the recent widespread circulation of an alert issued by United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FAS) on salmonella contaminated variants of Kinder Products, investigations by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has established that there is no evidence that any of the product subject to the recall in Europe have been imported into the country.
While asserting that the alert on recall of Ferroro’s (Belgium) Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini eggs, Kinder Egg Hunt Kit and Kinder Schokobons variants of the Kinder chocolate brands issued by FAS was authentic; the Bureau affirmed that most of the Kinder variants sold locally are sourced from Italy and India. It underscored the fact that Kenya does not import the Kinder Products from Belgium – the country identified as the source of the contaminated variants.
“The Kinder variants sold locally are sourced from Italy and India, as the countries of origin, not Belgium – the country that has been identified as the source of the contaminated variants,” said Lt Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
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Noting that KEBS role entails consumer protection and facilitation of trade, the MD further listed the Kinder products imported and distributed in Kenya. He asserted that none of the variants being recalled in Europe are available in the local market.
These products range from Kinder Joy Chocolate, Kinder Bueno White Chocolate, Kinder Bueno Chocolate, Kinder Chocolate, Kinder Creamy Milky & Crunchy, Kinder Bueno White Chocolate, Kinder Bueno Chocolate, Kinder Joy and Kinder Chocolate. Lt Col (Rtd.) Njiraini, stated that these Kinder variants imported into the country were certified by the KEBS appointed agents.
While conducting its investigations, KEBS collected 31 samples of the Kinder variants from retail outlets, which it tested for compliance with the requirements of the relevant standard – KS EAS 1033:2021: Kenya Standard East African Standard specification for Chocolate and Chocolate Products. The test reports revealed absence of the Salmonella contamination.
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To ensure the safety and health of product consumers across the country, KEBS will in the interim continue to carry out precautionary measures on the Kinder products and target the same for further surveillance based on the widespread global concerns.
“We encourage the general public to be vigilant and inform KEBS upon encountering any products suspected to be substandard. Wajibika Na KEBS is a program that allows the public to report cases of substandard products. To Wajibika, verify whether the S-Mark permit on your product is valid by sending the code underneath the S Mark to 20023 (SM#Code) to get product manufacturing details. If the details are different, invalid or not traceable to the platform, kindly report to KEBS through Toll Free Number 1545 during official working hours 8.00 AM to 1.00 PM and 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM, Monday to Friday. If you are aware of any kind of foul play by any manufacturer, also report those cases to KEBS through the toll-free number,” said KEBS.
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