KEBS receives Ksh679M Lab equipment to enhance food safety

Kenyan consumers are set to consume more quality and safe food as the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) received the state-of-the-art Food Testing Laboratory Equipment on Tuesday.

The equipment from the European Union will enable KEBS to test the quality and safety of a wide range of food products.

This is in the wake of allegations of the existence of plastic rice in the Kenyan market.

KEBS however, denied its existence as had been depicted in a social media video that has since gone viral. Charles Ongwae, the managing Director at KEBS dismissed the allegations and clarified that it was just plastics being recycled.

“There is no bass for the said allegations. The video circulating on social media shows a common process often conducted by manufacturer when recycling plastic materials,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“Through it, used plastic products are recycled and converted into pellets which can be reused to produce various plastic products,” he added.

Adan Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Co-operatives during the launch of the equipment said the equipment now available in laboratories at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) and the KEBS, gives the institutions the necessary tools to enforce and certify compliance with consumer food safety requirements.

The EU Ambassador Stefano Dejak said the EU supported Standards and Market Access Programme (SMAP) to address concerns raised by the national food control institutions regarding the need for a system to minimise the risks and hazards related to agricultural produce from the farm to fork.

“The equipment will contribute to increased production and consumption of safer and quality foods which will lead to increased competitiveness of Kenyan products, gain a better position on existing markets such as the 500 million strong EU market and also contribute to opening of new markets regionally and internationally.”

During the launch, KEBS Managing Director, Charles said  the standards will guarantee that goods and services locally produced or traded with any country are safe, and fit for consumption whether locally or for export. Safety and compliance will also be enhanced for goods coming into the country.

The equipment was made possible through the SMAP launched in 2014 through a 12.1 million Euro grant from the EU (Sh 1.4 billion), of which 5,860,885 Euro  (Sh 679 million) went into the purchase of the equipment.