[Photo/courtesy]The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has done well to come out to reassure consumers about six packaged rice brands whose quality had been questioned in a video that went viral in the social media recently.The video, suspected to have been put out at the behest of business rivals, specifically sought to portray the rice brands sold by Krish Commodities, a local rice processor, as inorganic or plastic.It understandably caused quite a scare among consumers, coming in the wake of reports about the selling of similar products in Nigeria.Kebs’ decision to make public the results of its tests indicating the products meet the East African quality standards should serve to allay any lingering fears as well as protect the company’s business.The relative speed with which the standards body handled concerns raised online also suggests it is coming to terms with the challenges of the social media – a double-edged sword that empowers the consumer to provide feedback on products, but that could also be used to destroy businesses.As demonstrated by the Krish Commodities case, it is in the best interest of everyone that Kebs be responsive and transparent in its handling of consumer complaints.

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