The DPL Festive Limited, manufacturers of Festive bread has denied adding harmful chemicals to their products to ensure they have a longer shelf life.
According to a Twitter user, whose page is no longer exists, the sticker on the bread indicated that it could last up to a month without going bad.
They also alleged that even after the expiry date, the bread was just as fresh.
Read: KEBS Bans Sale, Manufacture Of Dola, Four Other Maize Flour Brands Over Aflatoxin
Kenyans then claimed that DPL Festive could be using formalin – a chemical that is sometimes added inappropriately in food processing for its preservative and bleaching effects.
It is sometimes used in morgues for the preservation of bodies as it stabilizes proteins and prevents them from rotting away by preventing both autolysis and putrefaction.
The company that has been around for over 20 years defended its flagship product saying that it can go seven days without going stale.
Read Also: Uchumi Facing Eviction From Buruburu Branch Over 28-month Rent Arrears
“We would like to state that first, DPL Festive Ltd source ingredients for baking our bread that are vetted and approved by KEBS (the country’s standards regulator),” the statement read in part.
“Additionally, all ingredients as required by law, are published on each packaged bread. Our factories are also accessible and have been visited continuously by Kenyan authorities who frequently monitor the quality standards of our bakery,” it continued.
The tweet, the company further noted, was only meant to cause alarm.
Read Also: Kwanza TV To File Another Appeal After Six-month Ban By Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority
“We would like to assure members of the public and our customers that DPL Festive LTD will pursue the false and defamatory facts stated by the blogger and his sources as they are intended to cause fear.”
In 2019, the Kenya banned the sale and manufacture of five maize flour brands; Dola, 210, Jembe, Starehe and Kifaru maize flour, found to contain high levels of aflatoxin.
Earlier, the standards agency had also recalled seven peanut butter brands; Zesta, Nuteez, Supa Meal, Sue’s Naturals, Nutty by Nature, Fressy and True Nuts, also said to contain high levels of aflatoxin.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings