Customers of the popular Maziwa Mala who bought packets with an expiry date of May 10 have been advised to return the milk to retail points where they purchased the milk because the Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) inadvertently packaged fresh milk in the Mala packets.
A KCC dealer in Nakuru town, John Mwaura said they had informed the supermarkets to accept the complaints of customers on their behalf and give them replacements at no cost.
Mwaura said immediately the mistake was noted they embarked on withdrawing the affected batch, however, he said some customers had already bought the milk and noted the different taste, which did not conform to their favourite sour milk taste.
He explained that the same machinery system which packages the fresh milk was used for packaging mala, and that was how the mistake occurred.
“Normally what we do after packaging fresh or mala, the system is washed before embarking on the next set. However, on that particular day, they just continued packaging mala before the washing or cleaning was done. Hence fresh milk ended up being packaged as mala,’’ he added.
He apologised to the customers who came across the adulterated Mala and assured them that the mistake has been rectified and was unlikely to be repeated in the near future.
Local supermarkets confirmed that the batches were withdrawn and the customers who complained were given alternatives.
However, a local lobby group leader Jesse Karanja, said there was an urgent need for proper food regulation in the country and accused Kenya Bureau of Standards of having gone to sleep a long time ago.
He said residents were concerned with the many adulterated foodstuffs they buy and the lame excuses provided by the manufactures, adding that rice was now a major concern because the brands don’t taste what they promise.
Maziwa Mala the famed ugali accompaniment is popular with all age groups and in many households it is a major feature on the dining table.
By Veronica Bosibori
