15% of meat sold in supermarkets unfit for human consumption – Sicily Kariuki

Six out of 40 supermarket outlets in Nairobi recently sold meat containing preservatives unfit for human consumption, Nairobi County Health executive Mohammed Dagane said Thursday.

The CEC said meat samples from 40 supermarkets in Nairobi were taken to the Government chemist last Tuesday, and six outlets were found to have breached the health requirements.

The report, Dagane said, was released on Thursday, July 18.

One kilogram of meat should contain not more than 500 milligrams of preservatives. That quantity is deemed to be unharmful to human health.

However, samples from the six city supermarkets showed that some meat bought in those stores contained well over 1, 000 milligrams of preservative per Kg, with one of the outlets selling meat that had 6, 300 milligrams of preservatives in one kilogram of meat, said Dagane.

Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki on Thursday said 15 per cent of meat sold in supermarkets across Kenya is unfit for human consumption due to the excess preservative quantities used in them.

In Machakos County, area Governor Alfred Mutua shut Naivas meat shops over what he termed as harmful chemicals found in the foodstuff.