A leading bread manufacturer has denied that its product contains harmful preservatives to give it longer shelf life.
DPL Festive said its Festive bread is safe for consumption up to seven days. It was reacting to a consumer's concern on social media on Thursday claiming the bread bought over a month ago still appeared fresh.
According to the tweeted images, the bread was best for use before December 1, 2019. It also showed the bread was manufactured on November 24, 2019.
DPL was accused of using the harmful preservatives to prevent mould and bacteria growth that causes bread to go bad.
In their joint statement, DPL Festive Ltd directors Dipesh Shah and Jaynish Shah said the only preservative used in the bread is safe and approved.
"DPL Festive Ltd uses in its products as a preservative only calcium propionate which is safe and globally recognised preservative... we do not use any other preservatives in our products," they said, adding that "any allegations to the contrary would be wrong and misguided".
They said the packaging had imprints indicating seven days.
The directors said retail outlets are supposed to remove the unsold bread from the display after the seven days.
"From the customers' end, conditions such as freezing of bread, storage of bread in cold areas and in well-lit spaces can generally deter and slow down the growth of mould in bread," the Shahs' statement said.
They advised their customers not to consume the bread after the "best before" date.
Festive is DPL's flagship product. The bakery said that it is dedicated to quality as a homegrown Kenyan company that has been baking bread for over 20 years.
“We would like to state that the ingredients for baking our bread are vetted and approved by KEBS. Additionally, all ingredients as required by law, are published on each packaged bread.” the company's statement.
The bakery termed the claims made in the tweet as intended to spread fear.
