Curtain falls on food and feeds safety expo

Experts in the food and feed industry in Kenya have concluded a three-day workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the country. The workshop looked at ways of assisting FBOs to address food safety concerns.

Organised by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA) and Trademark Africa, in collaboration with the Kenya Government, the workshop started on Tuesday and ended yesterday, with participants taking a common ground on the need to streamline the sector to assure consumers of the safety of food and feeds in the market.

While officially opening the workshop, Dr Paul K. Ronoh, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said FBOs’ capacity to comply with regulatory requirements and upgrade their food safety programmes to match international best practices varies significantly. While large corporations with access to export markets have established modern food safety programmes, small and medium-sized FBOs are falling behind.

“The main goal of these initiatives is to strengthen the capacity of the private sector within key value chains to effectively manage food safety risks. A well-equipped industry will be better prepared to engage in the implementation of Kenya’s newly drafted Food and Feed Safety Policy and Bill, which is currently before the National Assembly for the second time after passing through the Senate,” said Dr Ronoh.

 According to the PS, there are 20 existing Acts of Parliament which were created to control the industry but have outlived their relevance due to emerging technology, hence the Bill will bring some order and provide the needed roadmap to streamline the food and feeds sector.

Regulation gaps

Mr Peter Owoko, Head of Policy at the State Department for Agriculture, while taking participants through the Bill, said there have been gaps in the regulation of the sector that the previous laws lacked to address. “For instance, we have had the overlapping of roles by food and feed quality assessment and law enforcing officers. However, the Bill has, among other things, created the office of Food and Feed Controller which will be in charge of the industry and regulating authorities,” said Owoko.

In his opening remarks, Mr Damian Ferrese, the Acting Regional Agricultural Counselor at the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service, US Embassy in Nairobi, said: “The enactment of food and feed safety policy and legislation is just one milestone in a longer journey. At USDA, we remain committed to supporting programmes that enhance food security and boost the economic prosperity of the Kenyan people. I hope this workshop marks the next step toward achieving these important objectives”.

Ms Gina Tumbarello, Executive Director of FAEA, said: “Our presence here reflects our commitment to supporting industry stakeholders in Kenya, helping them be well-prepared to share their expertise and insights during consultations with the Government of Kenya,” said Tumbarello.

“Together, our goal is to ensure that current and future regulations effectively safeguard public health, are feasible to implement, and foster the growth of Kenya’s industry, both locally and in export markets,” she added.

What works for the country

Dr Janie Dubois of FAEA said experts should focus on finding what works for the country in relation to economic, climate change and pests and diseases pressures. “We need to identify what can be modified because it will not make sense to come up with standards that will not be applicable. It is time to turn to the academia to get scientific knowledge on how to harmonise standards and identify cost-effective ways that will enable FBOs to operate effectively,” said Dubois.

On his part, Dr Andrew Edewa, director of Standards and SPS Measures at TMA, spoke on the benefits of complying with safety regulations and standards for trade facilitations. “Doing business internationally requires traders to comply with safety and other applicable standards to get their goods into the market. This has become the norm of doing business,” said Edewa.

He noted that there were many standards regionally and globally, hence the need to harmonise them to limit tedious compliance processes.