Cofek has learnt with grave concern that the Kenya Nutritionists & Dieticians Institute (KNDI) is purporting to endorse products as a way of taking advantage of unsuspecting consumers.
KNDI is a statutory agency within the Ministry of Health. Its’ key responsibilities is regulation of the training, registration and practice of nutritionists and dieticians.
Over time, KNDI, has fraudulently taken on a role of purporting to endorse products and even brands. That role is vested with the Kenya Bureau of Standards as per KEBS respective marks of quality.
So far Weetabix and Brookside have fallen victims by paying out tens of millions under the guise of sponsorship yet they ideally pay for the meaningless endorsement certificate.
Potentially unaware of the fraud, Brookside on Wednesday morning, engaged influencers on X platform to market the same under the #KNDIEndorsesBrooksidePlus
COFEK has since warned that the action by KNDI and its’ benefactors are in severe breach of Section 12 and 13 of the Consumer Protection Act.
The so-called “accreditation” to Weetabix was issued in 2016.
In issuing the #CofekRedAlert, we ask members of the public and consumers at large to exercise extreme discretion before being persuaded by the illegal arrangement between KNDI, Weetabix, Brookside among others.
Meanwhile Cofek has instructed its’ lawyers to study the legal options with possibility that we will escalate this matter to the Courts of law