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| Vegetables being cleaned |
The Ministry of Health has called on consumers to safe food handling practices to minimise risks of contamination.
These include ensuring food is always covered to protect it from contamination and maintain freshness.
The ministry has further advised to separate raw and cooked items, ensure food is cook thoroughly, maintain safe food temperatures and use safe water and raw materials.
This comes even as the country prepares to join the rest of the world in marking World Food Safety Day next week.
The day which will be commemorated on June 7 seeks to draw attention to food safety incidents.
In Kenya, various activities have been lined up ahead of the day, including clean-up of Soko Mpya market in Nyandarua County on June 4 and a conference from June 5 to 7 at Safari Park Hotel.
This year’s theme, ‘Food Safety; Prepare for the Unexpected,’ emphasises the importance of readiness in handling food safety incidents, no matter their scale.
Food safety incidents are situations where there is a potential or confirmed health risk associated with food consumption.
According to PS, Public Health Mary Muthoni, food safety, nutrition and food security are closely linked.
“Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, while foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining healthcare systems, and harming national economies, tourism and trade,” Muthoni said.
“Consequently, unsafe food threatens the Vision 2030 and the BETA Agenda, particularly in areas of Universal Health Coverage, food and nutrition security and manufacturing pillars,” she added.
Muthoni acknowledged that Kenya faces several food safety challenges, including Aflatoxin contamination in cereals, legumes, milk and other dairy products.
The country is also faced with the problem of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables and veterinary drug residues in foods of animal origin, leading to Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) in consumers.
Food adulteration such as the use of hydrogen peroxide and formalin in milk to extend shelf life and the use of trans-fats, raising cholesterol levels and increasing the risks of type II diabetes and heart disease are other issues of concern by the ministry.
Muthoni warned that these factors significantly impact both consumer health and economic prosperity.
“Contaminated food, harboring harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances, contributes to over 200 different diseases,” the PS said.
Globally, approximately one in 10 individuals experience foodborne illnesses annually.
Additionally, unsafe food reduces nutrient bioavailability, significantly affecting vulnerable populations such as infants, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, and the elderly, thereby worsening malnutrition.
BY THE STAR