14 maize flour brands have been flagged by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as unfit for human consumption.

According to the Bureau, the manufacturers of the 14 brands did not comply with the required standards. Besides, some of them contain deadly aflatoxin poison.

Among those flagged include Ndovu maize flour, Prestige sifted maize, sima tamu, range corn, top white, diamond sifted maize, Bel’s organic, winnies ugali afya, family.

Others are Jasiri sifted maize, Jema sifted maize, Mugambo sifted maize, Jibe maize flour and Jodari.

KEBS has asked all retailers selling the flagged brands to remove them from the shelves.

The standards body has also warned the millers to comply with the set standards for the brands that it is yet to test before they are put up for sale.

KEBS noted that the move shouldn’t be considered as a total ban but an action aimed at giving the millers a chance to take corrective action and ensure quality products are made available for consumers.

The country has in the past grappled with cases of substandard maize flour brands being brought into the limelight.

The major concern is due to the high levels of aflatoxin- toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops. High levels of aflatoxin damage the liver.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a past study, estimated that about 25 percent of food produced globally is destroyed yearly due to dangerous levels of aflatoxin.