The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has alerted importers, distributors and retailers in possession of Chicken flavoured instant noodles to stop their distribution and quarantine all quantities in their stores pending investigations over safety concerns.

This definitely means the products are unfit for consumption until ongoing investigations are concluded and findings communicated.

Commonly known as Indomie, the products were first recalled from the Egyptian Market this week on May 3.

The country’s Food and Safety Authority (FSA) found them to have “aflatoxins and pesticides residues in quantities that exceeded safe limits.”

The recall by Egypt implies the health of consumers in other countries where the products are sold is at risk. Already, the competition watchdog body of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) warned consumers in countries that make up the bloc against eating the affected products.

Precaution

According to Rwanda FDA, investigations on the local market found available Indomie’s chicken flavour to be manufactured from Kenya.

The body indicates, however, that it has since embarked on quality checks, and moved to stop further importation and distribution of the products as part of the precautionary measures.

“Rwanda FDA instructs all importers, distributors and retailers in possession of the above mentioned products to stop their distribution and quarantine all quantities in their stores until the investigation is concluded,” its Director General Dr. Emile Bienvenu said in a statement.

The agency did not say whether those who purchased the products should stop their consumption.

It indicates the products were sampled for laboratory quality analysis, and findings as well as related action will be communicated.

Third alert

This is the third alert by the Food and Drugs Authority within barely two weeks. On May 4, the agency recalled several batches of India-made Amoxicillin and Metronidazole, the drugs used to treat infections, after they failed quality control tests.

READ: Rwanda recalls India-made Amoxicillin, Metronidazole

On April 28, Rwanda FDA withdrew Kinder chocolate products amid reports that they were contaminated.