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The Food and Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday kicked off a three-day workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of Food Business Operators (FBOs) in Kenya to address food safety risks.
This comes ahead of the implementation of the Food and Feed Safety Control Coordination Bill 2023, which is currently under debate in the Senate after being passed by the National Assembly.
The Kenyan food safety system still needs modernization to become more science- and risk-based, as well as functional. To this end, the USDA, directly and through one of its implementing partners, the Food and Agriculture Export Alliance (FAEA), has invested over $500,000 (Ksh.64.5 million) in supporting the Kenyan Government in drafting a new food and feed safety policy and bill.
The eventual passage of the bill will create a legal and transparent framework for developing a regulatory system that will serve both FBOs and consumers, ensuring safe and quality food and feed products for the nation.
While officially opening the conference, Dr. Paul Ronoh, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, stated, “The capacity of FBOs to meet the regulatory requirements and modernize their food safety programs to align with international best practices is highly variable. While large corporations with export markets have implemented modern food safety programs, small and medium FBOs are lagging.”
“It is against this background that the USDA, through FAEA and Trade Mark Africa (TMA), has agreed to support capacity enhancement activities in Kenya, focusing on the private sector. The broad objective of these activities is to strengthen the capacity of the private sector in Kenya across priority value chains to address food safety risks. A capacitated industry will be better positioned to participate in the implementation of Kenya’s newly drafted Food and Feed Safety policy and bill, currently in the National Assembly for the second time after successfully passing through the Senate,” concluded PS, Dr. Ronoh.
In her remarks, Ms. Gina Tumbarello, FAEA Executive Director, said, “This week, we are privileged to co-host this workshop with USDA.
We are here because we remain dedicated to supporting industry stakeholders in Kenya, ensuring they are well-prepared to contribute their knowledge and experience during consultations with the Government of Kenya. Our shared goal is to ensure that current and future regulations provide optimal public health protection, are practical for implementation, and promote the growth of Kenyan industry both domestically and in export markets.”
Mr. Damian Ferrese, Acting Regional Agricultural Counselor, USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Embassy, Nairobi, in his opening remarks, said, “The enactment of a food and feed safety policy and legislation is part of a longer journey, and we at USDA will continue to support programs that improve food security and the economic prosperity of the Kenyan people. It is my hope that this workshop represents just the next step in achieving all of these goals.”
Recent food and feed safety crises in Kenya have sparked public demand for safer products, leading the government to draft the Food and Feed Safety Control Coordination Bill, 2023.
This pending law aims to establish a clear framework for regulatory control that fosters cooperation between state and national government agencies and industry while ensuring inclusivity and transparency. The legislation is expected to enhance public health, expand global market access, and contribute to economic growth.
The workshop aims to develop a roadmap to prioritize capacity training needs for the private sector with the intent to develop a curriculum in conjunction with a local university, which would then host future training for the private sector. Strengthening the capacity of the private sector will enable it to confidently address Kenya’s food safety risks in its processes going forward.
Source: The Citizen
