The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent recall of several popular peanut butter brands after laboratory tests found them to be contaminated with dangerously high levels of aflatoxin.

In a directive issued on March 25, 2026, Health Director General Patrick Amoth ordered the immediate seizure and destruction of the affected products.

The Ministry warned that these spreads contain toxins far beyond the legal safety limit of 15 parts per billion (ppb), posing a severe risk to anyone who eats them.

The crackdown targets four specific brands, some batches were found to be nearly 60 times over the safety limit:

• Nutie Peanut Butter: The 250g jars (batch 230925) recorded a staggering 934ppb, while the 400g jars (batch 160126) measured 98.94ppb.
• Kismat Peanut Butter: Multiple sizes were flagged, with the 130g jars (batch 070226) showing 207.44ppb. Other batches ranged between 29ppb and 98ppb.
• Muleka Peanut Butter: The 250g jars (batch B2002) measured 134.4ppb.
• Pannaj Peanut Butter: The 250g jars (batch 202504) contained 47.7ppb.

Dr Amoth has instructed County Public Health Officers to move quickly to clear these items from shop shelves across the country. Beyond just removing the jars, the government has ordered an immediate halt to production at the factories where these brands are made.

Inspectors have been told to keep these factories closed until the manufacturers can prove they have fixed the contamination issues.

The Ministry is also calling for “scaled-up surveillance” of all food products currently on the Kenyan market to ensure consumer safety.

Aflatoxin is a toxic substance produced by certain molds that grow on crops like peanuts and maize.

Consuming high levels of it can lead to serious health problems, including liver damage, suppressed immune systems, and an increased risk of cancer.

Because the toxin cannot be seen or tasted, the Ministry is urging the public to check their pantries and dispose of any jars matching the flagged batch numbers immediately.