The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority(FDA) has pulled NEJMA cooking oil off shelves following its failure to comply with the minimum standards of consumer foods.

The food and drugs authority said in a statement dated December 11, 2019, that the cooking oil, distributed by Hazana Trading Limited, was pulled off the market due to the discrepancies found in the dates indicated on the bottles and on the product packaging boxes.

"Upon thorough scrutiny of NEJMA cooking oil, FDA discovered that the production and expiry date indicated on the product boxes was different from the one indicated on the bottles inside,” Charles Karangwa, the Director-General of FDA said in a statement.

Created last year, Rwanda FDA is mandated with protecting public health by regulating food and pharmaceutical products among others.

The statement also indicates that the batch number of the cooking oil was on boxes and not on the bottles, which raised suspicions of foul play.

"After further analysis, we suspect that the production and expiry dates were changed by the manufacturer. Therefore, we regret to inform you that due to these reasons, FDA is announcing its decision to pull this product off the market,” it says.

Not the first time

Last month, FDA suspended a Kenyan-made Paracetamol drug over quality issues and ordered actors in the pharmaceutical sector to recall the stock as more investigations are being undertaken.

In the same month, the regulatory body banned several Kenyan-produced peanut butter and maize flour brands from the Rwandan market following their recall by Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) due to high levels of aflatoxins.

Aflatoxins are poisonous carcinogens that are produced by certain molds which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains.