County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Edward Sawe, on Wednesday, hosted officials from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) in a discussion centred on partnering to tackle concerns related to food safety.

The discussion also delved around mitigating on the presence of heavy metals and aflatoxins in cereals, which pose a significant threat to human health. Kithenya Wachira led the delegatio from Kephis.

Speaking during the call, Mr. Sawe said that consumption of contaminated food can result in various health problems, ranging from acute poisoning to long-term chronic illnesses.

“These contaminants can also have negative effects on livestock, impacting the health of animals as well as the quality of products such as milk and meat derived from them,” said Sawe.

According to CECM Sawe, the (County and Kephis) collaboration aims to address these issues effectively and ensure the production of crops that are both safe and of high quality by creating a conducive environment for implementing effective measures against heavy metal and aflatoxin contamination.

Sawe assured the team that the County would provide the necessary support in terms of policies, regulations, and resources to facilitate the adoption of safer agricultural practices.

“This collaboration must be backed by research and monitoring programs to assess the extent of heavy metal and aflatoxin contamination in cereals”, Said Sawe.

On his part, Chief Officer for Agriculture, Mr Elphas Kesio reiterated the importance of Regular testing of crops and implementation of quality control measures to help identify contaminated batches and prevent their distribution in the market.