Dear Editor, Nowadays the use of straws in sharing drinks is prohibited throughout Rwanda. We thank the Ministry of Health which ordered the ban. But there is still another big issue about some beverages that are harmful to human health, like some traditional beers made from bananas but which are made dangerous by the addition of chemical products whose properties are questionable. I would like to call upon the Ministry of Health together with Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBOS) to take great care to investigate this issue as they are in charge of the Rwandan population’s welfare in terms of ensuring safe standards of goods and services, and also ensuring that all health products conform to Rwandan standards. The above issue includes some banana beers named according to the willing consumers like Igisasu, Amangurutsa in Kigali and elsewhere. Of course many people are earning a lot of money from this activity, but until it has been declared safe, we should be on our guard lest people lose their lives due to ignorance or inability on the part of health officials to do their bit. Cyahafi
