WFP Establishes Food Testing Labs in Garissa ,Kenya.

The Garissa County Government of Kenya has unveiled three quality assurance-monitoring labs aimed at ensuring food sold locally was safe for consumption.

The mini-labs were established in collaboration with World Food Programme (WFP) and have been set up in Garissa, Masalani and Dadaab where they will grade foodstuff and detect the presence of toxins such as aflatoxin and fumonisin.

Previously food samples had to be taken to Nairobi for testing and quality assurance.

Speaking during the launch of the Garissa lab today, County Secretary Abdi Sheikh said the unveiling of the mini-labs was ‘timely and crucial’.

Sheikh said that 90 per cent of the food sold in local shops was sourced from neighbouring Somalia where quality standards were not enforced.

“These mini-labs will allow our public health team to step up its capacity to ensure sanitary and phytol-sanitary standards are maintained,” Sheikh said.

He added that the government was inspiring action to help prevent, detect and manage food borne risks.

Yussuf Ali Officer In-Charge of WFP Garissa branch said his office, jointly with the University of Nairobi, has trained and certified 12 county Public Health Officers on food quality and safety.