Fake S-26 Breast Milk Substitute has been spotted being sold in East African supermarkets and shops. S-26 which is the most popular BMS among other brands has been faked.
According to a nearly two-month survey, the fake powdered milk is sold in containers of different quantities and buyers hardly recognize that the product in question is counterfeit. Interviewed parents, both males and females were extremely shocked when asked whether they were aware of the existence of fake S-26. Without responding to the question they hurried home to check whether they are victims of the illegal business.
Those who turned back said it was true that some of the containers they had bought were real fake. Speechless as they were angered and full of frustrations they blamed the government, authorities concerned, manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers for that anomaly.
" I wonder what the authorities concerned are doing. I have been feeding my three month old toddler this good for nothing milk without knowing that it's fake. I now know the reason he is not gaining weight," lamented one parent who asked for anonymity.
A score of parents who have fallen in that trap have exclusively said that their babies were not only underweight but do not also grow as they should.
Paediatricians say there are serious effects when a baby and especially an infant takes inappropriate foods. They do not grow properly and they risk vomiting, diarrhoea, being under weight, among other complications.
