Lucas Barasa
4 November 2008
Nairobi — The Government has banned importation of eggs and related products from China.
This follows reports of detection of melamine-contamination eggs in China, the Kenya Bureau of Standards announced on Tuesday.
Managing director Kioko Mang'eli said the ban also affects eggs and other related products from territories near China and takes effect immediately.
"The related egg products will include noodles, mayonnaise, animal feeds and animal feed inputs," the MD said. In a statement Dr Mang'eli said the ban was in addition to an earlier one on milk and related products from the same country.
He said strict surveillance on all food and foodstuffs from China and related countries will also continue. "This exercise will be in force until the affected products are proved to be free from the contaminants," he said.
Food products from China have been on the spot after milk from the country was discovered to be tainted. It has since led to the death of a number of children.
The children died from drinking milk powder laced with melamine, which is an industrial chemical that is not digestible by the human system.
About 13,000 children were admitted to hospital after drinking the formula milk. The toxic substance that can make protein levels appear higher in baby milk has been banned in food.
On Tuesday, Tuskys general manager Frank Kamau told its customers not to worry as the supermarket does not import eggs from China. "We do not also deal in animal feeds," Mr Kamau said.
He said Tuskys imports mayonnaise from the US. Some countries in Asia and Africa have also declared a health alert over the contaminated Chinese product.
Last week, four brands of Chinese eggs were found to be contaminated with melamine with agriculture officials speculating that the cause was adulterated feed given to hens.
No illnesses have been linked to melamine in eggs. Other ministry officials say that the practice of deliberately adding melamine to animal feed was widely practised meaning melamine contamination may be more widespread than in just baby formula and dairy products.
Inspectors have destroyed 3,682 tons of animal feed that was tainted with the chemical. Commonly used in plastics and fertilisers, melamine is high in nitrogen, which registers as high protein levels in routine tests of food and feed.
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