Quality checks to safeguard fresh produce markets

Horticulture regulator is from this week expected to start checking the handling of fresh produce amid fears that the segment could be the next front for spreading Covid-19.

The Horticulture Directorate said there were chances that some producers have not been following the laid out procedures in areas like chemical usage, which could expose consumers to health risks.

The inspection will cover both the produce for local and export market as the directorate moves to assure customers of their safety.

“Of concern to us now is the issue of quality and we shall be conducting cross monitoring of the produce to see if there is a transmission of contaminants in the food chain,” said Mr Benjamin Tito, the head of Horticulture Directorate.

The directorate said would inspect the local markets for the produce and monitor the packaging houses for the export consignment.

“There is minimal monitoring that is currently going on in the farms and we need to check things like pesticide residue levels in the produce,” he said.

The move will not only ensure the safety of the local consumers but also act as a safeguard to the international market where any slight traces of contaminants is likely to lead to a ban on exports.

Kenya is at the moment selling a lot of vegetables and fruits to the European market with the shortage in the world created by Covid-19 coming as a boost to the country’s produce.

However, the volumes being exported have gone down for lack of capacity to transport the produce as most of the airlines pulled out of Nairobi following travel restrictions occasioned by coronavirus pandemic.

The inspection comes at a time when supermarkets are from May 1 required to comply with the new regulation that requires them to ensure fresh produce that they procure is tested for higher pesticide residues and other contaminants in a bid to safeguard the welfare of consumers.

This follows the establishment of Kenya Standards 1758, which now require all vegetable, fruits and beans to be subjected to the same quality standards as those going for the export market before they are placed on the supermarket shelves.