Public food safety institutions will be required to file annual status reports if MPs approve a Bill seeking to establish the office of the food safety controller.
The government-backed Bill seeks to provide for the coordination of public institutions in food and feeds safety. The Food and Feed Safety Control Bill, of 2023 establishes the office of the controller that the President will appoint.
The proposed law also seeks to provide for the role of county governments in the safety landscape.
“This is aimed at ensuring the supply of safe food and feed to consumers,” Kimani Ichung’wah, who sponsored the Bill, said.
“Food safety is a critical function of both national and county governments in fulfilment of consumer protection as provided in the Constitution.”
Mr Ichung’wah, who is the leader of the majority in the National Assembly, said the Bill will ensure that food is safely produced, distributed, processed, marketed and prepared for human consumption from the farm to consumption.
The Bill obligates the Controller to verify that related public institutions have effective traceability tools to monitor the food or feeds business.
The Bill amends a raft of laws including the Public Health Act, Dairy Industry Act, Fertiliser and Animal Foodstuffs Act, Pest Control Products Act, Meat Control Act, the Standards Act and the Biosafety Act.
It also amends the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service Act, Agriculture and Food Authority Act and the Health Act, 2017 to provide for the role of the Controller.
“Every competent authority shall, at least 30 days before the end of a financial year, prepare and submit a report on measures taken to ensure food safety or feed safety to the Office of the Controller,” the Bill states.
