ZAMBEEF in beef recall

1
Banner 3
Banner 3

Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/21/13

 

By TEDDY KUYELA
ZAMBEEF Products Plc has with immediate effect withdrawn all its imported meat products from all the outlets across the country.
Chief executive officer Francis Grogan said in Lusaka yesterday that the withdrawal follows media reports that there are dangerous levels of aromatic aldehydes in the imported meat products.
Aromatic aldehydes are organic chemical compounds that contain a carbon hydroxide radical used for embalming bodies and preserving food. It can cause organ cancer in humans in some cases.
He said at a press briefing that only local meat products will be on sale in the outlets.
Mr Grogan, who denied media reports that the imported meat products contained dangerous levels of aromatic aldehydes, said his company has sent samples for testing to internationally accredited laboratories in Germany and South Africa.
“Our main concern in this whole issue is our customers, the Zambian market. I want to, here and now, reassure every single Zambian that Zambeef has never and will under no circumstance ever knowingly supply sub-standard products to the public.
“To suggest for a second that we would risk the health of our consumers for whatever gain is totally and utterly absurd in the extreme,” he said.
Mr Grogan said Zambeef will engage and cooperate fully with the Ministry of Health as further testing on samples is done on the imported meat products.
He said it is sad that the company was not engaged by the Ministry of Health during the testing of the imported meat products.
“We hope that this time around, we will be made part of this process from start to finish. Our operations are 100 percent open to scrutiny by the authorities and my prayer is that this matter can be resolved in a sober and professional manner, relying on conclusive scientific evidence.
“We have already sent samples for testing to internationally accredited labs in Germany and South Africa,” Mr Grogan said.
He accused the company’s former employee known as Gregory Kapasa of allegedly spreading falsehoods that the company is importing meat products with dangerous levels of aromatic aldehydes.
“This whole unfortunate issue has been started by a disgruntled former employee who was bitter at being dismissed last year by the company.
He unfortunately threatened that he would harm the company unless he is paid huge sums of money, which we refused as we had done absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever,” Mr Grogan said.
He said it is sad that Mr Kapasa is now busy trying to harm Zambeef for refusing to pay him.
Mr Grogan said the company has decided to withdraw all the imported meat products until the matter is fully investigated by the Ministry of Health.
He also assured the public that all imported meat products are sourced from highly credible meat exporting companies overseas in the United States, United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Mr Grogan said all consignments are accompanied by health certificates signed by the relevant government authorities of the exporting country.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY