Wait! Have you checked the safety of the food on your table?

Photo credit: Kenchic

By Evans Ongwae

Kenyans love to eat livestock products: milk, eggs and meat. However, only a few verify the sources of the products that end up on their tables.

Experts from World Animal Protection, an animal welfare organisation, and the leading poultry products producer, Kenchic, urge Kenyans to change their casual attitude towards food safety.

They advise that food safety should be the concern of consumers, and everyone along the food production and supply value chain, including producers, transporters, processors, retailers as well as various government agencies tasked with food quality and safety. These government agencies have an even larger role to play in ensuring food safety.

Jim Tozer, the Managing Director of Kenchic Limited, says consumers have the right to expect safe, high-quality food that they can trust. They should therefore voice any concerns they have about food safety.

He asserts that awareness of food safety among consumers is critical. Informed consumers, explains Mr Tozer, should know whether their food is traceable to its producer. That is their right.

Kenchic Limited is an example of a food producer that adheres to global animal welfare, biosecurity and food safety standards. Mr Tozer says it is these food safety practices that make it possible for Kenchic to deliver safe and quality food.

He says Kenchic’s ‘Farm-to-Fork’ model underpins quality and traceability by ensuring that every egg hatched, every chicken raised, and every cut of meat processed, is safe and healthy for sale and consumption.

Kenchic has been running the largest integrated poultry operation in East and Central Africa since 1984. Kenchic’s products range from day-old chicks, branded processed chicken meat and further processed products such as smoked sausages, choma sausages, and standard sausages. Its farming practices conform not only to Kenyan standards but also to European Union (EU) and World Health Organisation (WHO) requirements.

Kenchic takes its business very seriously and the consumer is the centre of attention. The ability to assure consumers through the traceability model of ‘Farm to Fork and Farm to Farm’, means that their products of day-old chicks and processed meat sold to customers can be traced back to their grandparents and at every stage of production. As it is documented, they can describe exactly what the chicken were fed on, the quality of the water, how and when they were vaccinated – all in line with global standards.

A large emphasis is placed on constant and consistent training of staff in production standards to produce chicks and chickens in accordance with global food safety requirements.

Kenchic’s in-house laboratory has attained ISO 17025 certification after undergoing accreditation by the South African National Accreditation System. Kenchic has also achieved Tier 1 Yum Brand (KFC and Pizza Hut) certification, the highest achievable global level.

Photo credit: Kenchic

The Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), charged with the responsibility of inspecting and licensing hatcheries in Kenya under the Animal Diseases Act and controlling slaughterhouses and places where meat is processed under the Meat Control Act, frequently audits Kenchic and its practices.

Dr Victor Yamo, the Farming Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection, Africa office, explains that the welfare of intensively farmed animals – chicken, pigs, dairy cattle and these days fish kept in ponds – directly affects food quality and safety.

Welfare of farmed animals

Dr Yamo says the animal production industry in the country is beginning to understand that the welfare of farmed animals is critical not only for the animal but also for the producer, as it has an impact on productivity, hence profitability. It also affects the consumer in relation to the quality and safety of the products.

He points out that when animal welfare is ignored, the animal’s productivity reduces and similarly the product’s quality is compromised. The reduction in productivity, quality of the product and its safety, are tied to the five fundamental freedoms of animals. 

The first freedom is the Freedom from hunger and thirst. Animals should be fed with the correct feed that meets their requirements at the stage of production. They should also have access to clean wholesome water consistently. Underfeeding animals or limiting the water consumption to animals leads to reduced productivity.

Comfortable environment

Secondly, the feed and water should have no contaminants, as these will end up in the plate of the consumer. For example, if animals are fed rotten maize full of toxins from the contaminating fungus, these toxins will end up on the consumer’s table in the form of contaminated milk, meat or eggs, which will impact the consumers negatively, Dr Yamo says.

The second freedom is Freedom from discomfort, which requires that animals should be housed in a comfortable, clean environment with resting places. Animals raised in dirty, verminous, overcrowded and poorly ventilated housing units end up suffering from various diseases, leading to reduced productivity. Environments with poor hygiene not only lead to diseases but also to contamination of products such as eggs and milk. In the end, consumers may be infected.

The third is Freedom from pain, injury and disease, which requires that producers should ensure that animals do not undergo painful processes and have high disease prevention mechanisms such as good biosecurity, hygiene and vaccinations.  Mr Tozer says that at Kenchic, international animal welfare, biosecurity and hygiene standards are strictly adhered to, as this is critical to preventing the contamination of food.

Competent animal health practitioners

Internationally, it is important to ensure that sick animals are treated after consulting competent animal health practitioners. Dr Yamo however points out that once animals are treated, especially using antibiotics, the drugs remain in their bodies and in products such as milk and eggs for a period of time.  Hence, it is important to observe the specified withdrawal periods for the drugs to ensure products from such animals are not consumed before expiry of the period, as doing so would lead to resistance to the drugs.

Finally, poor transportation of animals being taken to slaughter may cause injuries and bruises that could lead to the meat being condemned or downgraded. This would be a loss to the farmer.

The fourth is Freedom to express normal behaviour. For example, chickens are known to scratch, perch and dust bathe in their natural environments. These behaviours are important for the welfare of the chicken but also in ensuring good quality of the meat, says Dr Yamo.

The fifth is Freedom from fear and stress. When stressed, animals produce hormones that affect the quality of the products they produce. Transporting animals wrongly, for example tying pigs or hanging chickens on motorbikes, is very stressful hence the poor quality of the products achieved.

Both Dr Yamo and Mr Tozer say the country needs to eliminate animal products that do not meet stringent quality and safety standards.

Setting benchmarks

The Kenchic MD says the playing field in the poultry industry is uneven, with some informal producers not adhering to food safety practices.

Kenchic, he asserts, invests heavily in quality and safety, thus setting benchmarks for the industry. He notes that even though implementing food safety practices has implications on business costs, it ensures sustainability and trusted quality products. This translates into better business.

Mr Tozer observes that the cost of feed and other raw materials is quite high in Kenya compared to other countries within the region. This needs looking into because feeds account for nearly 75 percent of the cost of poultry production.

He says in the spirit of growing the industry, Kenchic trains farmers to raise their food safety standards. It equips them with the requisite knowledge they need to produce poultry to high quality and safety standards.

Dr Yamo urges all actors along the animal food product chain to play their part in producing safe, quality products. The right policies by the Government are critical to ensuring that happens.

He says a draft Bill on Animal Welfare and Protection, once passed by Parliament and assented to by the President, will make a positive difference in animal production.