Indomie still offered for sale despite health concerns, Cofek warns

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7- Consumers Federation of Kenya has raised an alarm that many supermarkets are still selling popular Indomie products despite reports that it contains high aflatoxins and pesticide residues which are harmful for human consumption.

The COMESA Competition Commission had earlier urged its member states including Kenya to stop the importation of the products after Egypt banned its chicken and vegetables flavored instant noodles as well as instant noodles with chili packs from its market.

Food safety tests conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Egypt found that Indomie’s chili packets and the chicken and vegetable flavor packets contained “aflatoxins and pesticide residues in quantities that exceeded safe limits.

While the Kenya Bureau of Statistics(KeBS) has not concluded tests on the commodity sold in Kenya, COFEK has urged Kenyans to boycott its purchase until it gets a go-ahead from the agency.

INDOMIE IS still on supermarket shelves. #Cancer kills slowly. It’s like a slow puncture. Consumers are strongly advised to totally boycott purchase of indomie until @KEBS_ke tests are concluded. Do not feed your loved o es on aflatoxins and pesticide residue #ConsumerProtection pic.twitter.com/7DIVJn7Cgx

— Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) (@Cofek_Africa) May 7, 2022

The lobby group had raised concern that the toxic indomie had landed in the Kenyan market.

“We advise consumers to refrain from either consuming and or purchasing any imported indomie until necessary verification is conducted by the Kenya Bureau of Standards and other relevant agencies. That those who may have purchased indomie are requested to ensure samples are tested in credible laboratories before consumption.

In addition, it urged all supermarkets and retailers to voluntarily get the product off the shelf for a couple of weeks as tests are conducted.

“We urge KEBS to demonstrate some level of urgency and decisiveness on condemning suspected contaminated food, we do not agree necessarily that same product genuinely or deceptively labeled to have been imported from a different country other than the confirmed ones would be safe,” COFEK added.