Deal firmly with companies that compromise food safety

Food safety concerns in Kenya have become so rampant that it worries to think what people eat.

Recent media coverage has been dominated by concerns: from poor quality cooking oil, curing of red meat with excessive sodium metabisulfite to act as a preservative, substandard juices to aflatoxin in groundnuts and maize.

The big question is, what are the agencies responsible for food safety management doing?

Are they sleeping on the job as Kenyans consume plenty of toxics bought expensively from the shops?

The Kenya Bureau of Standards, through its market surveillance department, recently suspended the sale of various maize brands trusted by consumers because they contained unacceptable levels of aflatoxin.

Well, while this should be lauded, it came too little, too late because most consumers had bought the produce and consumed it.

It is clear that most food manufacturers are more concerned about their sales and revenues than quality and safety of their produce.

They forget that greater significance should be given to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) legislations during preparation, processing, storage, distribution, transportation and consumption.

In most developed countries, food safety standards are so high that when there is an alert, manufacturers quickly recall their products. Here, most firms are concerned about their reputation.

It is apparent that many Kenyans lack general awareness on food safety and standards, but this is because concerned government agencies have done little to ensure the public gets reliable, objective and comprehensive information on the topic.

Our basic laws on food safety include the Food, Drugs and Substances Act Chapter 254, Meat Control Act 316 and Public Health Act 216.

These laws show that Kenya lacks a defined policy on food safety as part of national food and nutrition framework.

More than one ministry is involved in food safety. There’s actually a bill in Parliament to separate food safety and drug authority to strengthen the mandate of each and to have an agency that is fully responsible for food safety management across the value chain.

Certainly, it is time we formulated a comprehensive strategy and laws on food safety to deal with the modern challenges.

And as we do that, we also have to deal firmly with manufacturers who produce substandard food products.

This action should include taking to court perpetrators and ensuring they pay heavily for compromising on quality. This will help strengthen the weak links in food production.

Eunice Kandie, Food scientist and quality assurance manager, Nairobi.