City supermarkets to reapply for meat inspection

City Hall has given supermarkets whose meat sections were shut down 14 days to reapply for inspection. 

The outlets were found to have excess sodium metabisulphite content and their bosses were charged in court.

Appearing before the City court, the officials pleaded not guilty. 

The officials who were from Tusker Mattress Eastlands, Tusker Mattress Kenyatta Avenue, Naivas Supermarket Buruburu and Naivas Supermarket Gateway Mall were released on Sh300,000 bail each and surety of the same.

Muthaiga Fine Meat officials were freed on Sh200,000 bail.

City chief magistrate Roselyn Ogayo said the cases will be heard on August 19 and 30. 

The City court had ordered officials of the six outlets to appear before the court and respond for contravening the Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act. 

The supermarket officials will have to explain why they have been using preservatives beyond the 500 milligrams per kilogram as stipulated.

The offences include processing, treating, labeling, packaging, selling or advertising food in a manner that is false.

They also face charges of endangering human life as well as engaging in businesses not captured in their licenses. 

The meat sections were shut down by county health officials last month in a ongoing crackdown on all food eateries in town.

This was in line with Governor Mike Sonko's executive order to the county health department to probe and carry out tests on all eateries.

Nairobi Health executive Mohamed Dagane has said the supermarkets will only be allowed to reopen the meat sections if they comply with the required regulations.

Dagane said this will apply to all food eateries in the county.

The county is also working on measures to safeguard its slaughterhouses from such acts.

More health officials will be deployed at the Burma and  Kiamaiko meat markets.

The county is collaborating with the national government in the exercise that will be conducted continously. 

Edited by R.Wamochie