Food Protection Trends - May/June 2013 - (Page 172)

GENERAL INTEREST PAPER FAO/ WHO Project Report Improving Food Safety in Meat Value Chains in Kenya SAMUEL KARIUKI,1* ROBERT ONSARE,1 JOYCE MWITURIA,1 RONALD NG’ETICH,1 CYNTHIA NAFULA,1 KENNETH KARIMI,1 PURITY KARIMI,1 FRIDAH NJERUH,1 PATRICK IRUNGU2 AND ERIC MITEMA3 Centre for Microbiology Research, KEMRI, Nairobi, Kenya Dept. of Agriculture Economics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya 4 Dept. of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Public Health, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya 3 Dept. Food Safety, Zoonoses & Foodborne Diseases, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya 1 2 ABSTRACT Meat production contributes significantly to household food security and domestic and export income in Kenya; thus, managing the safety of meat is essential to protect public health and ensure market access and economic benefit for the country. The management of microbiological risks associated with meat should be based on scientific assessment of health risks, the identification of the critical points through the chain where microbiological contamination occurs and quantitatively increases and at which prevention and control measures can be most effectively applied to protect public health. This is a report of a collaborative study in Kenya aimed to provide risk managers with preliminary data on which to base a risk-based food safety program by undertaking value chain analyses, a microbiological survey of food production and human illness, observations and questionnaires and by bringing stakeholders together to share knowledge and develop management and policy directions. Foodborne bacterial zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance were key hazards for which risk management strategies were required through the value chain, taking into account the diversity of production, slaughter and retail practices and coupled with surveillance and monitoring of disease, food contamination, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial usage. INTRODUCTION Meat is an important source of protein in the human diet and it is projected that world human meat consumption will rise with increasing populations and consumption per person will increase linked with increasing personal income (8). However, while meat is a rich nutrient source it can also be a potential vehicle for the transmission of human foodborne illness (6). The meatborne microbial hazards of importance, their prevalence, and the risks posed to public health have changed over time and at any point in time vary in different geographical and socio-economic settings. These changes and differences have been associated with emerging pathogens, changes in the primary production and processing of meat, the implementation of food safety risk management strategies, and changes in social and economic factors. Bacterial foodborne zoonoses are among the priority microbial meatborne hazards, and the carriage of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by these bacteria or other bacterial flora of meat adds a further dimension to their importance. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) provides guidelines for the control of meatborne hazards (6) and foodborne AMR bacteria (4) that are based on a risk-based approach where control measures are applied at those points in the meat supply chain where they will have the greatest impact on lowering the final risk to the consumer (5). In Kenya meat production, including chicken, beef and pork, contributes significantly to household nutrition, community food security and income, and the national economy with growth projected to move with world trends (11). Supply of safe meat is essential both for the protection of public health and for market access opportunities regionally and internationally. While there is a legislative framework governing the food supply that includes reference to food safety, past programs were not specifically based on public health risk reduction with supportive science and an evidence base as recommended now by the CAC (5). The CAC risk management framework for governments is structured, beginning with preliminary activities such as identifying the food safety problems and establishing a risk profile (5). In Kenya, there *Author for correspondence: Phone: +254.202.718247; E-mail: skariuki@kemri.org; P.O. Box 43640-00100, Nairobi, Kenya 172 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS MAY–JUNE 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May/June 2013

Food Protection Trends - May/june 2013
Contents
Commentary
Measuring Self-Efficacy of Food Safety in Middle School Populations
Food Safety Knowledge Among Restaurant Food Handlers in NeuchâTel, Switzerland
Video Observation and Data Coding Methods
Fsma: Article 3
General Interest Paper: Food Safety Risks of Mycotoxins
General Interest Paper: Fao/who Project Report
Industry Products
Coming Events

Food Protection Trends - May/June 2013