Kenyan supermarkets and other retail stores will soon sell fruits and vegetables bearing a quality mark. This week, there was the unveiling of quality mark for the KS1758 Code of Practice, to scale up compliance with quality and safety regulations for fresh produce. The mark of quality is part of a campaign to ensure all actors in the industry follow the procedures for responsible handling of fresh produce at every point of the value chain.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said consumers will be able to select retail outlets who have complied with quality standards before the end of the year. Munya noted that despite the fact that exports accounted for only 4 percent of the total horticulture produce in the country, 96 percent of produce for the domestic market lacks quality checks to ensure they are safe for consumption.
The quality mark for the KS1758 Code of Practice has been developed through a joint initiative of the Directorate of Horticulture, Retail Traders Association of Kenya (RETRAK) and the Standards Implementation Committee (SIC) with support from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Capitalfm.co.ke reports that RETRAK CEO Wambui Mbarire noted that despite huge revenues generated by horticulture value chain there were still challenges in ensuring quality of food traded in formal and informal domestic markets is of the highest standards.