State orders crackdown on peanut butter brands over aflatoxin contamination

Home-made peanut butter. [iStock photo]

The government has ordered a nationwide crackdown on four peanut butter brands after laboratory analysis revealed aflatoxin contamination levels that pose a serious public health risk.

In a letter to County Public Health Officers, Ministry of Health Director General Patrick Amoth directed counties to immediately halt the production and sale of the affected products.

The Ministry said various sizes of Nutie, Kismat, Pannaj, and Muleka peanut butter products were found to have exceeded the accepted aflatoxin limit of 15 parts per billion (ppb), with some samples testing as high as 934 ppb.

The products have since been declared unfit for human consumption, with counties directed to pull them from retail shelves countrywide.

"Laboratory analysis on various brands of peanut butter has shown that the products contain high levels of aflatoxin above the standard requirements. The peanut butter total aflatoxin acceptable limit is 15 ppb or less," Amoth said.

The specific affected products are Nutie (250g and 400g), Kismat (130g, 250g, and 800g), Pannaj (250g), and Muleka (250g).

Counties have been ordered to carry out inspections to ensure compliance and to seize all existing stock of the affected products from the market for disposal.

"You are advised to scale up surveillance of all food products on the market," Amoth added.

The crackdown will also extend to the factories where the products are processed, with operations to be suspended until the matter is resolved.

Amoth further urged industry stakeholders to strictly adhere to the Food, Drugs, and Chemical Substances Act and the Public Health Act, which govern food safety standards and protect consumers from harmful products.