MBS talks tough on standards
The recent ban of Revin energy drink on the Malawi market following safety and health concerns has pushed the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to issue a stern warning against compromising standards.
MBS acting director general Willy Muyila issued the warning on Friday at a media briefing jointly organised by the MBS and Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board (PMPB) on the developments relating to the ban of the importation and supply of adulterated Revin energy drinks into Malawi.
He said manufacturers must be truthful with what they put in the products they give to the public because if they do not the long arm of the law will catch up with them.
“Manufacturers have to be honest with what they are offering to the public. In this particular case, we are talking about a normal energy drink which has been adulterated by Siidenafil Citrate which is supposed to be a prescription medicine. This is against both the MBS Act and the PMPB Act,” he said.
On his part, PMPB acting registrar Mphatso Kawaye assured Malawians of its continued commitment to promoting availability and use of safe and good quality products in Malawi.
He said in the case of the Revin energy drink, the board found that the product turned into a medicine the moment Siidenafil Citrate was added to the product, posing a health hazard to unsuspecting consumers. Meanwhile, the MBS and PMPB have in view of the development ordered the importer of Revin Products, Revin Malawi Limited and Gatbro International Limited, to immediately recall all the products, declare with objective evidence quantities of the brands that were imported into the country and prescribe to MBS and PMPB disposal arrangements for the recalled products.
