By Dennis Okari
An exposé by NTVs Dennis Okari, that aired on Sunday night, showed how rogue supermarket officials use chemicals, to increase the shelf life of products, putting at risk the lives of millions of Kenyans.
Okari spoke to a supermarket attendant, who disclosed that sometimes, meat is laced with food sulphites, also referred to as dawa ya nyama, to make it appear fresh longer.
“Meat shouldn’t get spoilt in the supermarket. It is considered a loss. We try to minimise losses by using the chemicals on fresh, minced and diced beef,” he spoke.
“Every morning before the doors open for customers, we take packaged meat that stayed overnight, remove the cling film and change the date labels to reflect the current date. If the packaging is stained with blood, we change it and put a new wrapping,” he added.
Meat, including beef, chicken, fish and mutton, that is not sold after a week, is cooked and served to unsuspecting customers in in-store cafeterias, the source revealed.
Food experts advise that sulphites are generally safe if used within recommended limits, but they can cause negative side effects like nasal congestion, itchy throat, runny nose, skin rash, and hives in some people.
