Sonko closes meat sections in major city supermarkets

The Nairobi County Government has closed six meat sections in major supermarkets within CBD and its environs.

The crackdrown which took place on Thursday afternoon saw the meat section of Tuskys Supermarket along Kenyatta Avenue shut down after samples indicated that the meat has 63,000 milligrams of Sodium Metabisulfite per kilogram.

This is contrary to the required limit of a maximum of 5,000 milligrams per kilogram.

Other Supermarkets whose meat sections were closed include Tuskys Buruburu, Naivas Gateway Mall, The point Naivas limited Buruburu, and Muthaiga fine Meat Limited.

County’s Health Executive Mohammed Dagane who lead the crackdown said that the county had constituted a task force to sample meat sections of 40 Supermarkets within Nairobi.

According to Dagane, the six were found to be having extremely high-end preservatives.

He said key officials from the six supermarkets will be arraigned in court to face charges of endangering human life.

“ We have shut down the six after samples showed that they have extremely dangerous levels of preservatives we are planning to arraign officials from these Supermarkets in the court,” Dagane said.

Deputy Director of Public Health Wilson Lang’at said that the county will further narrow down the crackdown to butcheries and all eateries in Nairobi.

“We will continue with the task in all the major supermarkets as well as eateries in town,” Langat said.

The county officers said that they will ensure that the meat which has been seized has been properly disposed to avoid any consumption by city residents.

“All supermarkets selling raw meat and using preservative should label it properly to show inform consumers,” Lang’at said.

The crackdown came after an NTV investigative report on Sunday which revealed that Sodium metabisulfite preservative is being used by Supermarkets to preserve their meat for longer periods.