• Study conducted in April shows that chicken is currently consumed by 19 per cent and fish at 36 per cent, respectively.
• Spirited campaign against red meat that cited health threats could have paid off, raising awareness among consumers.
Beef consumption is steadily declining as the preference for white meat increases, a new survey has indicated.
The report suggests that the main reason cited in determining meat preference was health concerns.
The market survey by Kenya Market Trust, a non-profit organisation that monitors market behaviour, indicates that in 2009, beef constituted two-thirds of all meat types eaten in the country.
At that time, beef consumption stood at 67 per cent. Poultry constituted 23 per cent, pork two per cent and mutton and goat meat 13 per cent.
Fish and other meat types stood at 15 per cent.
However, this has all changed as white meat, notably chicken, dominates the consumption 10 years later.
The study conducted in April shows that chicken represents 19 per cent of consumption and fish 36 per cent, respectively, translating into a cumulative 55 per cent.
Beef is now only consumed by 23 per cent of the households while goat meat by 18 per cent, the report shows.
Pork and mutton are consumed by three and one per cent, respectively.
The research examined the spending characteristics of high, middle and low-income earners to determine spending patterns.
People were sampled randomly in all the counties.
The decline in red meat consumption suggests that the spirited campaigning against red meat over heath risks could be having an impact, raising awareness among consumers.
Other concerns those surveyed cited in buying meat are prices, the origin of the meat, religious factors as well as how the animals are fed.
The increased consumption of fish possibly explains why Chinese fish has found its way into the Kenyan market.
This report follows another by World Animal Protection released on Thursday, showing that demand for chicken had out-stripped that for beef.
Chicken tops the list followed by fish.
It also indicated that consumers are willing to pay more if they are assured that meat products are free of antibiotics and chemicals, that the animals were raised and transported in high welfare conditions and slaughtered humanely.
Discussing the report on Friday at a city hotel during a media workshop on meat safety, professor Kang'ethe Kiambi said the majority of meat consumers in the country are increasingly cautious of how the meat is handled as a way of guarding their health.
"People are increasingly cautious about their health and so they are asking where the meat come from and how the animal was handled," he said.
Cold chain, in particular, Kang'ethe said, is an underrated component of healthy meat handling in the country, affecting the quality of meat eaten by Kenyans.
Edited by R.Wamochie