Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority has banned imports and sales of seven Cerelac products that ended up on local supermarket shelves despite having "non-complete label requirements.”
Cerelac instant cereals are produced by Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate Nestlé, which is the world’s largest food company.
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According to Rwanda FDA’s market surveillance findings, certain packages of Cerelac products lacked standard requirements, especially the manufacturer’s name and address.
The regulator’s list of the Cerelac products to be quarantined included Cerelac (Infant cereals with Milk) 400 g, from 12 months Honey & Wheat with milk; MAXI PACK Nestle Cerelac (Fruit Papjes Panades de fruits (from 4 months) 800 g; Nestle Cerelac (Céréale biscuitée pour panades de fruits) 300 g.
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The list also mentions MAXI PACK Nestle Cereal (Céréale biscuitée pour panades de fruits) 800 g; Nestle Cerelac (Céréale biscuitée pour panades de fruits) from 4 months, 300 g; Nestle Cerelac (Infant cereals with Milk) from 7 months Mixed Fruits & Wheat 400 g; and Nestle Cerelac (Infant cereals with Milk) 400 g Wheat with milk.
All seven products have batch numbers (identification numbers), and expiry dates ranging between June 2023 and January 2024, but their manufacturer’s name and address were not mentioned on the packages.
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In a letter dated February 25, addressed to importers, supermarkets, distributors of food products, and the general public, Rwanda FDA’s Director General, Dr Emile Bienvenu, said the regulator is "investigating the source of the products and has sampled [them] for laboratory quality control analysis.”
Bienvenu instructed 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.”
He added that the findings will be communicated shortly and that the regulator will make guidance on the action to be taken.
It is not yet clear how many quantities of the banned products are on the Rwandan market.