KEBS MD Esther Ngari (centre) speaks to journalists on the sidelines of the workshop, flanked by Director for Standards Development Zacharia Lukorito (left) and Manager, Food Standards Peter Mutua (right).
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has promised to ensure high
standards of food safety in retail outlets after recent claims of some stores selling expired products.
In a training on food hygiene and safety code
of practices held at KEBS headquarters in Nairobi to gear up for the upcoming
World Food Safety Day, the organisation’s leadership confirmed that it will
uphold high standards of safety to ensure no one breaches the set standards to
protect consumers.
The training
comes as the public show mistrust on the safety and quality of food being sold
in some outlets.
Speaking during the forum, Esther Ngari, the KEBS Managing Director,
emphasised that the training was timely as it provided good insights on what to
expect in the upcoming World Food Safety Day.
She
said: “This workshop could not come at a more
crucial time, especially as we prepare to observe World Food Safety Day on June
7, 2025. Current statistics reveal a staggering reality of approximately 600
million people worldwide suffer illnesses each year due to contaminated food,
and nearly 420 million of them face life-threatening consequences.”
She added: “These figures
are not just statistics because they represent real lives impacted,
highlighting the urgent need for action to ensure food safety. The food chain,
as we understand it, spans from farm to fork, and it involves a multitude of
stakeholders throughout the value chain.”
She reiterated
that it was imperative to recognise that every participant, from primary
producers (farmers), consolidators, and transporters to distributors,
manufacturers, and consumers play a vital role in safeguarding food safety.
Through Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), which is a systematic preventive
approach to food safety and focuses on identifying and controlling biological,
chemical and physical hazards in food production and processing, KEBS maintained that it will sensitise all stakeholders involved in food handling on
the requirements of good hygiene practices.
They said that HACCP
helps ensure food safety by identifying potential risks, establishing control
measures and implementing monitoring and corrective actions.