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Nicholas Waitathu and George Kebaso

The government will today launch a nationwide crackdown on food value chains violating safety regulations.

Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) acting director Kello Harsama said the government was keen to implement new regulations aimed at enhancing food safety.

Food facilities targeted include supermarkets, hotels, large fresh produce markets like Wakulima and Kongowea markets in Nairobi and Mombasa counties respectively.

“We are keen to test the maximum residual levels in food and aflatoxins in maize and groundnuts.

This is part of the key components of the food and nutrition security as outlined in the Big Four agenda,” said Harsama.

He was speaking during the Horticulture Industry’s launch of Quality Mark aimed at ensuring safety of foods in local markets. 

Harsama said most of the food exports from the country that are rejected end being sold locally, thereby endangering the health and safety of Kenyans. 

“What we are talking about here today is access to food and food safety that has been preserved for foreigners.

Vegetables that are rejected at JKIA find their way into the country’s supermarkets,” he revealed.

Harsama said most food producers and sellers paid little attention to safety. He observed that 95 per cent of the food consumed in Kenya is local produce.

The acting director said the crackdown will coincide with the launch of strategies that will be used to enforce the food safety regulations.

“We are going to brutally enforce laws that regulate entry of food into the market.

It is high time to protect Kenyans, and it’s a proud moment for Kenyans to have access to safe vegetables.

We are going to use all means and resources at our disposal to do it,” he said.

Saying the Crops Act was clear, Harsama warned that stern action would be taken against anyone found flouting food safety regulations. 

“If you are found selling vegetables that have high Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), the fine is between Sh50,000 and Sh1 million or a jail term ranging from six months to one year.

“We have no option but enforce the regulations to protect our people,” he added.

Harsama said the authority’s food crop department will also embark on a countrywide testing in maize flour production facilities to ascertain the level of aflatoxin.

Posho mills

The acting director said that while the national government and other food safety agencies have been concentrating on aflatoxin checks in big food processing firms in urban centres, the testing will now be extended to small processors in rural areas. 

“Our next level of concentration will be in the counties and far-flung areas to test maize being processed for flour as part of the government’s nationwide strategy to ensure safety of food is guaranteed,” he said. Most of the maize processed in rural posho mills, Harsama said,