The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has released a set of 24 new standards to facilitate the production of safe and quality products of animal origin.
The enhanced specifications were developed to support the growing demand for proteins of animal origin which has led to intensified livestock production and subsequent use of selected feed grains and fodder seeds.
The Standards will address variety specifications, formulations and terms used in animal feed stuffs, methods of tests for important quality and safety parameters for oil seed by-products (used as raw materials for animal feeds), fertilizers and cereals/pulses.
They will also provide specifications for potato flakes and cotton seed and application of molecular bio markers for detection of adulteration of food and feed even when the element of detection is present in very small amounts.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the consumption of animal products continues to rise worldwide and has driven demand for animal feed products hence critical to ensure that feed safety is guaranteed across the chain.
Recent contamination episodes have raised attention on the importance of ensuring feed safety and on the need to prevent and control the presence of hazards, such as dioxin, aflatoxins and other undesirable substances.
The 24 Standards are among the 243 standards approved by KEBS to support growth in food and agriculture, housing and construction, healthcare as well as general manufacturing sectors as the country fights Coronavirus (COVID-19), reports KBC.
“Application of the standards will aid industrial advancement and strengthen the country’s progress in sectors critical to the growth of our economy.
“They will give the much-needed boost, as industries face unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing solutions that address quality and sustainability issues,” said Lt. Col (Rtd.) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director, KEBS.
In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), discovering that foods of animal origin are at times found to be contaminated with heavy metals and Aflatoxin M1, whose major source are linked to feed and fodder, has set January 1, 2021 as the deadline date for compliance with the required manufacturing standards for commercial feeds/feed materials.
