Egyptian prosecutors ordered on Monday a senior employee at Heinz Egypt, the maker of the famous ketchup brand, detained for four days pending investigations into charges the factory is using expired food in its products.

A complaint against Heinz was filed by Ahmed Mahran, the head of the Cairo Centre for Political and Economic Studies, who submitted to Cairo prosecutors a CD of videos and pictures allegedly showing  "rotten" food that is "unsuitable for human consumption" being used in the company's tomato-based products.

The prosecutors' decision came a day after authorities impounded 62 tonnes of "rotten and expired" products at one of the company's factories in 6 October city, a security source said earlier on Monday.

The products were seized following complaints against the manufacturer after a video purportedly showing below-standard tomato processing at an Egyptian Heinz factory went viral on social media. 

The company described on Sunday the circulating video as “misleading” and “edited.”

The footage shows two men throwing piles of tomatoes into an outdoor machine. The tomatoes did not appear to have been sorted or inspected beforehand.

The video has angered many social media users who have questioned the quality of tomatoes used and expressed concerns over the levels of hygiene maintained in the factories.

Heinz Egypt, a condiment market leader, said in a statement the "edited footage neglects some processing stages," but did not deny it was taken at one of its factories.

The company said in the statement that it maintains the highest production standards and uses "high-quality, clean" tomatoes, adding that it is committed to ensuring the safety of its consumers.