Press Statement
The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) is worried by the revelations in the media that a leading food, meat and meat products marketing company, Zambeef, is alleged to have found it fit to offer for human consumption foods, in this case offals, that contain prohibited substances like aromatic aldehydes.
The Zambian law, in as far as the Public Health Act is concerned, is very clear on issues surrounding food adulteration and it is difficult to understand why a company of such repute is reportedly engaging in such life-threatening activities. Our biggest concern as CSO-SUN is that these meat products find themselves in the diets of young children, who are already faced with a serious threat of malnutrition, which stands at 45.8%.
We see this profit motive as a serious affront to our effort of fighting malnutrition because these aromatic aldehydes are capable of causing anaemia in an exposed individual, and our worry is that this will worsen anaemia problems in our child-bearing women. Anaemia in Zambia among the child-bearing
women is as high as 46%.
We wish to commend the local authorities and the media for bringing this issue to the attention of the general public, and in the same vein, we also challenge the local authorities to start seizing all food products that do not have adequate nutritional information labelling. The law in Zambia is very categorical on the need for every food processor to provide enough nutritional information on food packages so that a consumer is able to make some informed choices as they buy such foods for their children, or for the entire family.
A consumer has the right to know what kind and quantities of nutrients and additives are in each food package. Some sections of industry have taken its clientele in Zambia for granted for too long, and as CSO-SUN, we will work hard to ensure that the diet of Zambians and especially children is
not compromised to avoid harming their lives.
It must be appreciated that beyond the profit motive,business houses have a moral and social responsibility to protect the general public by being honest and desisting from offering adulterated foodstuffs for consumption.
The law enforcement agencies are challenged to ensure that companies that elect to operate outside the confine of the law are called to account for their actions. Harming the lives of children who are voiceless cannot be accepted in our nation, at a time when all well-meaning individuals and organisations in Zambia are doing everything possible within their means to help reduce malnutrition. We will follow such issues with utmost interest because we want to see a Zambian child protected from malnutrition and other harmful practices.
LLOYD HANDONGWE
PROGRAMME OFFICER
Zambian laws are porous to the core..corruption is the spine of all these misdeeds….cry my beloved country as this nation has truly seen better days.
Stop crying the beloved country. let’s mobilized and sculp these big companies. Were are the scalping lawyers, this is the easiest way to make money. Sue sue sue. It is that easy. Stop from this day crying the beloved country.
True true… I think this applies to all other national issues…we v got to stop cry, and start mobilising and organising. We the people, the Youth have got to take hold of our country, immense POWER is vested within us. We v got to stop all this crying, and then Jesus this, Jesus that… Jesus peace be upon him was great, but we v got to start doing for ourselves.
Let this be an eye opener to all Zambians that ALL that glitters is NOT Gold. The Zambian masses unfortunately believe and trust in what the Brits say/do; so much that they will do anything for the british.
The question however is; at what point were these Poisons applied on the carcasses? Was it done in Zambia or at the point of discharge? For how long have they done this to us and how many pipo have been infected by yet new viruses as a result of this? What is the PF Govt going to do about this?
Guys these are serious matters. Zambians may as well believe now that HIV was indeed injected into us by these same British pipo because they want to take back our Land, our resources etc. Unless we the Zambians themselves do something about this, I am scared for my children….
Iwe wazakupoka ka passport, those are normal preservatives you find even in the meat you buy from TESCO, ok!
Ba Tese ZONO NAIMWE you are the epitome or typical Zambian Chumbu is referring to, trusting the white man all the time, so you trust Tesco as well now, and your preservatives…Let me tell you preservatives will enhance or give you HIV…HIV is not only sexually transmitted, if at all it is. Preservatives, additives etc weaken your immune system, destroy vital organs etc and HIV is simply a weakening of your immune system or the repletion of it. Therefore, as a nation as part of the programme of dealing with HIV we must be focusing on returning to the African way of eating, and not this way we are pursuing of processed quick foods, which leads to death, cancer etc….And yes HIV/AIDS is a weapon created by the former colonil power + USA to kill us, reduce our population, + take our land.
Chibamba you are seeing things through your paranoid glasses. there is nothing wrong in adding a preservative to meat…and aldehydes are one of the most commonly used.
There has been a lot of unethical things that have been going on at Zambeef. The list extends from product handling to absence of work contracts for staff. A close relative of mine worked there for five years and never signed any employment documents during that time. Conditions of service were communicated by word of mouth and controlled by a lady called Lisa. There were huge salary differentials between the black and white employees.
Long story but fails to addrss the dangers of the aldehydes or even to state how much of them have been found in the meat. Kwena ignorance!
This story was carried by the Post and it has one glaring error.It says the substance found in the zambeef product is used to embalm bodies.This is clearly written by someone who has no clue about chemistry.The substance been referred to is aromatic aldehyde.an aldehyde contains at least one hydrogen atom attached to a carbonyl group.There are hundredsof aldehyde compounds…one of which is formaldehyde which is used to embalm bodies.But obviously not all aldehydes are used to embalm bodies.Even your liver makes aldehydes.So methinks Fred Mmembe just wants to destroy someone who works for Zambeef
May be Kopulande – former MMD NEC member, RB Supporter, OR A shareholder HH. Have also been wondering……. i hope te PHD at work
Good to hear from someone who understands the chemistry of formaldehyde/aldehydes.
You still don’t want those aldehydes in your body, especially if they are man-made. Am no chemist, but once you begin adding artificially made compounds to the body, you create an imbalance, and this leads to disease….we certainly need to seriously regulate the manufacture of foods, and whatever is added to foods.
Since the story came from the post am suspicious of foul play here, I hope some one is not trying to fix a perceived enemy who is linked to zambeef
HOW CAN ZAMBEEF START IMPORTING RUBBISH UN ORGANIC FOOD INTO ZAMBIA TO FEED ZAMBIANS WHO EAT ORGANIC FOODS WHILE WESTERN COUNTRIES MAKE IT SO HARD FOR PROPER AFRICAN ORGANIC FOODS TO SELL ON THEIR MARKETS? I MEAN WESTERN FARMERS ARE DELIBERATELY OVER-SUBSIDIZED JUST TO AVOID AFRICAN FARM PRODUCE TO ENTER THE WESTERN WORLD AND ZAMBEEF IS EASILY IMPORTING RUBBISH TO FEED ZAMBIANS INSTEAD OF EXPORTING OUR ORGANIC AGRIC PRODUCTS TO THOSE COUNTRIES. THE GRZ MUST DISCIPLINE ZAMBEEF FOR THIS FUULISHNESS.
THE ISSUE IS HOW MUCH OF THOSE CHEMICALS ARE FOUND IN THE MEAT. WAS A SURVEY CARRIED OUT TO DETERMINE THE SAME. WHAT LAWS GOVERNOR THAT. WHO DOES THE CARCASE AND MEAT EVALUATION- INSPECTORS. WHO IS SUPPOSED TO ISSUE A STATEMENT. WHEN YOU FORM KAMA SMALL NGOs WITH A WORD CONSUMER AND NUTRITION DOES NOT MEAN YOU UNDERSTAND THE COMPOSITION OF MEAT/CHEMICALS MEANT FOR SOFTENING MEAT.
ISSUES THAT ARE REQUIRED:
HUMAN ETHICS
ANIMAL ETHICS
MEAT ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA- I AM PLEASED TO TRAINED NICELY ON THESE MATTERS NOW.
POISONING THE PUBLIC IS AN OFFENSE.
This is attack on Zambians on their Soil, all Zambeef bosses should not be allowed to leave the country till this is over. Zambia has experienced high rise in cancers and other illnesses untold.
Zambeef and other producers should put labels on the actual contents of their products so that pipo can make informed decisions.
We need serious border controls on what is coming, ZRA / Imigration need help from Health/Vet personnel and above all these Foodstuffs should be tested at the point of entry. Once i took mealiemeal to China in a 2.5Kg national milling package at point of entry had so many questions and eventually was made to eat some while the Chinese authority watched. it was humiliating but these Dog Eating brothers were just protecting their citizens.
Let us not just bicker and cry the beloved country whatever. It is time for Zambians enmasse to call for a consumer regulation board with lawywers and judges on board. It is that easy. Moving on!
Test meat products in all butcheries and super markets.
This story needs to end with ZAMBEEF suing the POST for the lies and demanding damages.
…And to think I was busy laughing at my friends in Europe for buying Horse meat which the butcheries and supermarkets there were passing for beef, not knowing that the hooves, offals, oxtail and liver that I like so much is from the same horse meat worse still after adding some poison …I am totally pissed
zambeef must pay very heavily for this malukula behavior
Some fats will naturally breakdown into harmless aldehydes. I believe this is a case of ignorance which is common in government institutions blowing up non issues and Zambians respond without any thought.
Nutritional Changes by Freezing
Meat is frozen without any prior treatment, unlike vegetables which have to undergo a preliminary blanching process to destroy enzymes involving considerable loss of water-soluble nutrients. So there is little or no loss of nutrients during the freezing procedure, nor, so far as there is reliable evidence, during frozen storage – apart from vitamin E.
Proteins are unchanged during frozen storage but fats are susceptible to rancidity. Pork and poultry meat are more susceptible since they are richer in unsaturated fatty acids than other meats, and comminuted meat is also very susceptible to rancidity because of the large surface area which is accessible to oxygen.
The vitamin E is damaged because the first products of fat rancidity, hydroperoxides,…
The vitamin E is damaged because the first products of fat rancidity, hydroperoxides, are stable at the low temperature and oxidise the vitamin. At room temperature they break down to harmless peroxides, aldehydes and ketones, so that vitamin E is more stable at room temperature than during frozen storage.
The losses incurred in frozen meat mostly take place when the meat is thawed, and juices are exuded containing soluble proteins, vitamins and minerals. This is termed “dripthaw” and the amount depends on the length of time of ageing (time between slaughter and freezing), whether frozen as carcass or meat cuts, conditions of freezing and speed of thawing; it varies between 1% and 10% of the weight of the meat and is usually about 5%.
3. Smoking
Smoke for treatment of meat products is produced from raw wood. Smoke is generated through the thermal destruction of the wood components lignin and cellulose. The thermal destruction sets free more than 1000 desirable or undesirable firm, liquid or gaseous components of wood.
These useful components contribute to the development of the following desirable effects on processed meat products:
Meat preservation through aldehydes, phenols and acids
(anti-microbial effect)
Antioxidant impact through phenols and aldehydes
(retarding fat oxidation)
Smoke flavour through phenols, carbonyls and others
(smoking taste)
Smoke colour formation through carbonyls and aldehydes
(attractive colour)
Surface hardening of sausages/casings…
This story is typical of Zambians. On one hand we have journalists who just report facts without throwing in an ounce of research even asking scientists what aldehydes are. On the other hand we have Zambians who just react to unsubstantiated information. Zambeef on its part has neither denied nor admitted the existence of the aldehydes in the Beef. It is about time we demanded for respect of our rights as consumers. By the way ZAMBEEF is a Zambian company only that some of its shareholders are of European descent and indegenous zambians also have shares through LUSE.