Rwanda Bureau of Standards has launched a market surveillance to ascertain if tainted powder milk has found its way on the Rwandan market, following reports of the same product in the neighboring country of Uganda.

The milk is suspected to be contaminated and not fit for human consumption.

This follows a recent alert raised by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) about adulterated powder milk products composed of mainly strong brands of NIDO and Nan baby formula.

According to UNBS, cases of unscrupulous individuals tampering with, especially imported powder milk, which they open and re-fill with milk-like substances, and distribute to different supermarkets are on the rise in Ugandan supermarkets.

"Once it is on the Ugandan market somehow it can easily find its way on our market, beyond our control.

As per now we have not confirmed its availability on the Rwanda market but we are on alert,” Jane Nyamvumba, the Head of Quality Assurance, Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), the body responsible for keeping standards in the country told Business Times last week.

Nyamvumba assured Rwandans that RBS is carrying out an investigation to ascertain if the counterfeit powder milk that is said to be poisonous is in circulation.

"We have launched a market surveillance to find out,” Nyamvumba said, explaining that RBS operations have been beefed up on entry points to avoid entry of the fake products into the country.

In related development, last month products of infant powdered milk from South Africa were banned in Tanzania amid reports that several Tanzania children have been admitted to hospitals across the country after being taken ill.

Laboratory tests conducted by the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority found that baby formula milk S-26 Code 1 that is manufactured by Aspen Nutritionals contains high quantities of free fatty acids and peroxide chemicals.

The ban was the second one involving South African baby formula products in Tanzania in the past year. Earlier, 400g tins of Lactogen 1 baby food milk formula were purged from the market over poisoning fears.

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