The Kenya Bureau of Standards is cracking down on a growing trend in the drinks market.
In a public notice dated Friday, KEBS cautioned manufacturers and traders selling miraa-infused beverages, popularly known as jaba juice, against displaying its Standardisation Mark, or S-Mark, on their bottles.
According to the regulator, it has discovered that some producers who are licensed to make ordinary fruit juices are using those same permits to market drinks laced with miraa.KEBS says this is misleading and illegal.
The agency clarified that it has not certified any khat-based drink in Kenya.
In fact, khat and its derivatives are currently excluded from its product certification program because of regulatory concerns around its psychoactive substances cathinone and cathine.
“A permit is only valid for the product it was issued for. It cannot be transferred to miraa drinks,” the notice stated.
KEBS has already revoked permits of traders found violating the rule and warned that further misuse will attract enforcement action under the Standards Act, Cap 496.
Consumers are advised to verify certification via SMS to 20023 and not be fooled by the familiar quality mark on jaba juice bottles.
