Supermarkets to obey the new fresh produce standards starting May 1

Starting May 1, 2020, all supermarkets will be required to obey the new regulation of certifying that fresh produce is tested for higher pesticide deposits and other chemicals despite that only a few retailers have agreed to take part in the piloting of the standards.

This trails the formation of Kenya Standards 1758 developed by stakeholders in horticulture with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) as a secretariat, demanding all vegetables and fruits to be subjected to the same quality standards as the ones for export.

Following up on the compliance will be the Fresh Producers Consortium of Kenya (FPC) with other government institutions, including the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis).

“We now have standards to enforce mandatory quality checks to ensure all fresh produce comply with the minimum required pesticide residues,” said Ojepati Okesegere, chief executive officer of FPC.

This suggests that all venders will now have to acquire fresh produce permit from the Directorate of Horticulture.

Failure to comply with the quality requirement will see the licenses withdrawn.

The new standard will subject the products to two for quality checks; at the source and the supermarket before they are placed on the shelves.

According to Kephis managing director Esther Kimani, the quality checks will ensure consumers are protected, pointing out that the agency is in touch with their counterparts in other regional countries on traceability of the produce exported to Kenya.

There have been concerns in the Kenyan market that fresh produce is not subjected to quality checks, raising fears that contaminants and heavy metals are may present pausing a health risk to the consumers.