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Safe food grows economy
Lucy Mwaniki collects potatoes in her farm in Nyandarua.
The world over, food safety is a growing critical public health issue due to its association with food-borne diseases (FBD), which have significant morbidity and mortality rates. Unfortunately, the worldwide incidence and financial expenses of FBDs are hard to determine.
The good news is that most FBDs are preventable. The World Health Organization (WHO) says developing nations experience poor food handling and sanitation practices, absence of strong food safety laws, weak regulatory systems, lack of financial resources and unhygienic food handling methods.
WHO outlines 10 rules for safe food practices: Choose foods processed for safety, cook food thoroughly, eat cooked food immediately, store cooked foods carefully, reheat cooked foods thoroughly, avoid contact between raw foods and cooked foods, wash hands repeatedly, keep all kitchen surfaces clean, protect foods from insects, rodents and other animals, and use safe water.
The Ministry of Health should conduct studies to evaluate the factors affecting safe food handling practices, especially during preparation and serving.
The probability of having good food safety practice is higher among food handlers supervised by health professionals than the rest. Supervisors give professional advice to food handlers, owners and managers of various food establishments.
Food safety is the foundation of trust in the related business. Small and medium-sized businesses very often do not realise that not applying food safety and quality improvement measures turns out to be more expensive than applying them. In this regard, while hindsight may be good, foresight is better.
The government should not leave this important element to chance or ignore it but actively and alertly plan, implement and pursue food safety from the initial stage of food production, inputs and processing, packaging, storing, distribution. Food safety contributes to the economic development of a nation.
