Health ministry probes spoilt Tsabana
Public urged to return all compromised Tsabana to respective clinics they sourced from
Since late last year, parents have been complaining of being given spoilt nutritious baby food ration, Tsabana, at various government clinics countrywide.
Though the expiry on the Tsabana packaging shows that the food has not reached its ‘sell-by-date’, the public is confused to what might be causing the bitter taste in the children’s supplementary feed. In an interview with The Monitor, Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoH&W) chief public relations officer, Christopher Nyanga acknowledged they were aware of the situation.
“The ministry has launched an investigation involving stakeholders in the Tsabana supply chain, including the supplier, to establish if there is anything wrong with the product and further to cause for the correction of whatever may be wrong with the said product.
The ministry, through its clinics, has requested all people who took the said Tsabana consignment to return it,” he said. Furthermore, Nyanga explained that since investigations into what could be the cause of the reported bitter taste had not yet been concluded, the ministry was unable to state what could be the cause of the unusual taste. He added that once investigations are completed, the ministry will be in a position to say with certainty as to what could have gone wrong.
Nyanga also pointed out that pending the findings of the ongoing investigation, the ministry could not conclude on the specific dangers to human health that the said Tsabana could pose.
However, he said the ministry advised all who were given the said product not to consume it, but return it to the nearest clinic.
He also explained that MoHW had not received any reports of people who had become sick because of the said foodstuff.
The government gives children Tsabana, a locally produced food supplement amongst the cost-effective interventions that can be used to improve the nutrition of children six-59 months in Botswana.