The #redalert feature by Dennis Okari which has been trending raises a lot of questions on the validity of the messages put across by the feature which is quite misleading to the public. Some of the concerns and false assertions to be debunked include:

1. It is important to point out that sodium metabisulfite is not carcinogenic, contrary to the way it has been incorrectly portrayed in the feature. Sodium metabisulfite is a widely used biocide and preservative in the agriculture, food and beverage industries. It poses no direct danger to humans and there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that it causes cancer.

2. The laboratory where the meat samples are said to have been tested is not accredited to undertake the analysis, and it certainly does not have the technical capacity and the expertise to analyze meat samples for sodium metabisulfite - being a human pathology diagnostic laboratory rather than a food industry or chemical analysis laboratory. It, therefore, raises queries where the tests were actually conducted and if the results are valid.

3. Furthermore, a simple observation of the clip of the way the samples were handled by the lab technologist who took a piece of meat and put on a test tube against a human biochemistry analyzer and then claims to have used the Monier-Williams method raises serious questions about whether the test was actually done.

4. Likewise, the anatomical pathologist who interpreted the result is not an expert on food science testing and meat analysis.

5. Besides, the closeness of the 3 results from 3 different samples coming from 3 different ‘leading supermarkets’ at 545, 547 and 550 mg/Kg sounds quite odd if not dubious.

6. Whereas it may be true that meat sellers/retailers may indeed be using sodium metabisulfite, the way the feature has been done by Dennis Okari and the results provided are questionable and may be unscientific thus alarmist and misleading, which in turn would be counterproductive for public confidence in science and cause unwarranted and unjustified damage to an industry without scrutiny.

7. It would be appropriate to have the samples tested in a proper and well-established laboratory that is accredited to analyze food samples; and to ensure proper handling of the samples to the correct results are obtained for interpretation which must then be interpreted by the right experts including chemical analysts, food science and vet specialists.

I'm waiting for an exposé on those Milk ATMs in supermarkets. I bought milk only twice from one of them 2 years ago. Never went back. It was terrible with some strange taste.

The queues at that ATM were always looonggg.

What are sulphur dioxide and sulphites used for?
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (E220-E228) are generally used for their preservative effects.

What foods are permitted to contain sulphur dioxide and sulphites?
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites are permitted in a wide range of foods including dried fruits, breakfast sausages and burger meats (with a minimum vegetable and/or cereal content of 4%). Full details of the range of foods to which they can be added, and maximum levels allowed, can be found in Regulation 1333/2008/EC or by searching the EU database of food additives.

What amount is permitted for use in breakfast sausages and burger meat?
The maximum permitted amount of sulphur dioxide or sulphites in breakfast sausages and burger meat is 450mg/kg (total of all sulphites). Manufacturers of these products should be aware that seasoning mixes and other ingredients used in the manufacture of these products may already contain these additives and this should be taken into account. These additives cannot be used in breakfast sausages or burger meats with a vegetable and/or cereal content of less than 4%.

How should sulphur dioxide and sulphites be labelled on a product?
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites are considered allergens (under Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers) and can cause reactions in certain people, especially those sensitive to asthma. Therefore, for prepacked foods, their presence in a food or beverage must be indicated on the label, by its full name, where the level exceeds 10mg/kg or 10mg/L (expressed as SO2).

The Nairobi County Government has closed six meat sections in major supermarkets within CBD and its environs.

The crackdrown which took place on Thursday afternoon saw the meat section of Tuskys Supermarket along Kenyatta Avenue shut down after samples indicated that the meat has 63,000 milligrams of Sodium Metabisulfite per kilogram.

This is contrary to the required limit of a maximum of 5,000 milligrams per kilogram.

Other Supermarkets whose meat sections were closed include Tuskys Buruburu, Naivas Gateway Mall, The point Naivas limited Buruburu, and Muthaiga fine Meat Limited.

Deputy Director of Public Health Wilson Lang’at said that the county will further narrow down the crackdown to butcheries and all eateries in Nairobi.

Hotels, restaurants and vibandas shoud be probed too. We need to know how they store their meat and vegetables. If the big guys are doing it you can imagine the rot huko kwa mahustlers.

I was talking to a butcher kwa estate about this chemical manenos and he told me that any butchery that does not have a freezer uses the dawa which they spray on the meat and the meat can be hanged kwa butchery for a week while still looking red and fresh.

I agree with Hardwood re Ageing beef.
I never ever buy red looking beef.
It may be fresh but it will not have the tenderness and flavour of 21 to 28 days aged meat.
Aged beef, instead of looking bright red is brown in colour.

Unfortunately, very few high end butcheries age their beef.
You need a cold room to hang the meat for 21+ days.
It is also fairly expensive. A kilo from my butcher costs 2000/= per kilo.
But it is worth the price.