Frozy lovers across the country can now smile following a decision by Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to lift a ban on the importation, sell and distribution of the Mozambican drink in the country.
MBS through Ministry of Trade and Industry banned the sell, distribution and use of Frozy in November due to failure of the product in meeting the bureau standards.
According to MBS, frozy drinks contained high levels of citric acid and benzoates which was dangerous to human health in the country.
MBS asked the company to address the two issues before the drink could be sold on the Malawian market.
In a press statement issued on Monday seen by FaceofMalawi, MBS said Yaafico Industries Ltd has complied with the request and now the product is fit for sale in Malawi.
“The MBS wishes to inform the general public that Yaafico Industries Ltd, the manufacturing company for Frozy drinks, was instructed to redress the shortfalls observed on the product. Among the actions taken, was the obtaining of random samples of Frozy drinks from the company and from the market for running conformity assessments with regard to MS 18-Carbonated soft drinks- specification and MS 19-Labelling of prepacked foods-General Standard soft drinks specification.
“Following that exercise, Yaafico Industries Ltd has complied and Frozy drinks are now compliant to MS 18 specifications, but remain noncompliant to MS 19 as storage conditions are not indicated and some markings are in a language not easily understandable by the Malawian user,” reads the statement in part.
Added the statement: “Considering that the labelling shortfalls are of less risk to the consumer, the MBS hereby advises the general public that the ban, which was imposed on the sell and use of the product in Malawi, is lifted pending the manufacturer’s complete redressal of the labelling shortfalls by 20th February, 2017.”
MBS has since hinted that it will continue to carry out quality monitoring processes on the product under its Import Quality Monitoring Scheme (IQMS), which shall include border inspections, sample analyses and market surveillances, among others to ensure its compliance on the market.
Meanwhile the Mozambican manufacturer of the drink has appointed KU Investment as the sole importer and distributor of Frozy drinks in the country in a bid to ensure sanity.
