However, as everybody can see for himself the transparent white polythene used to wrap bread, cakes, salt, rice etc. are still abundant. Yet that won’t be for long either. If REMA means what they say – and until now they have been known to do so – then even those kinds of polythene won’t be seen in about two months from now.

On July 6, the agency issued another directive giving supermarkets, bakeries, butcheries and other shops using such polythene bags six months from that date to find suitable alternatives.

Thus, after January 2008 it might become more expensive to eat mandazi; they will have to be wrapped in an environmental friendly material which might come at an extra cost. And be sure that REMA is determined to see the ban through. They say they have given enough time for those concerned to think of alternative ways to pack their products, and they believe it is possible.

For example, they indicate that a local foodstuff manufacturer commonly known as Nyirangarama has approached them with samples of biodegradable wrapping materials, which REMA has approved. Nyirangarama makes popular cakes and mandazi which are normally wrapped in the undesirable polythene. He has now come up with an alternative and REMA is encouraging other traders to follow the example and find other materials that are either recyclable or biodegradable.

After the six months, REMA has said it will not give any more permission to supermarkets and other traders to import polythene materials. That also applies to local manufactures of such polythene materials. The six months were given to them to either phase out or come up with acceptable alternatives.