The government is in the process of drafting a food safety bill to tackle safety issues in dairy products, including milk and meat.
Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Andrew Tuimur yesterday said it is not enough to talk about food security and nutrition without focussing on safety.
“Earlier, it had been mixed with drugs and medicine but now we are separating the veterinary medicine to the Veterinary Directorate, the other ones for humans to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to deal effectively with food and other related products,” he said.
Tuimur said the government has distributed coolers to farmers to ensure the quality of milk is adhered to right from the farm to the consumers.
“We are looking at the option of having traceability and know where the milk comes from,” he said.
He spoke during a press briefing on the upcoming 15th African Dairy Board Conference and Exhibition. The event will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, from August 14 to 16.
Kenya Dairy Board MD Margaret Kibogy said they are revising the dairy regulations to strengthen the regulatory framework for the benefit of dairy operators, consumers and the public at large.
“This will help safeguard food safety and promote quality assurance to the public and consumers here and elsewhere. We look forward to continuous engagement and support by stakeholders to build a strong dairy industry that provides health and wealth,” she said, adding vigilance is crucial from the production stage to ensure safety.
“Good agricultural practices at the farm level lead to the production of safe raw milk that is free of pathogenic microorganisms, antibiotics, aflatoxins and other contaminants that can be harmful to human health.”
She said environmental and staff hygiene, equipment and utensil hygiene, animal welfare, and feeding and milking practices, among others, affect the quality and safety of raw milk. Kibogy said they are in talks with dairy feed manufacturers to lower the cost of production. They seek to eliminate inefficiencies along the dairy value chain and ensure farmers can get better returns.
“We have not maximised on the installed capacity which stands at 4.5 million litres and currently we are 45 per cent. This is because the sector is still informal and there is a need to formalise it."
Eastern and Southern Africa Dairy Association executive director Peter Ngaruiya said food safety will be the key focus in the conference where more than 120 local and international firms have confirmed attendance.
Edited by R.Wamochie
