Food Safety and Nutrition Security – Dairy

Milk forms an important part of the diets of majority of people in East Africa with a major contribution to the national food security, income generation, and rural development. Kenyans drink a lot of milk. The country is listed among the leading producers and consumers of dairy products in Africa. The dairy industry has a production capacity 5.2 billion liters of milk per annum, with cattle accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the output (MoALF, 2013). Various studies estimate that Kenyans consume between 50 and 100 liters of milk per person each year and consumption is growing rapidly. In Nairobi, even poor households consume around a liter per week. Although the per capita milk consumption in the country of about 100 kilograms per year is the best in Africa, it is still far from meeting the global target consumption rate of 220 kilograms per capita (MoALF, 2013). Thus, increasing production and access to safe milk products is central to ensuring food security in Kenya. A large body of research, including several studies based in Kenya, shows that milk consumption improves child growth. However, because it is so highly nutritious, milk is also an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and other germs. Moreover, milk can be contaminated from many different sources: foods that the cow eats, chemicals and antibiotics used on the farm or along the supply chain, disease-causing organisms that infect the cow or people who handle the milk, and substances deliberately added to milk. And unfortunately, because milk is associated with goodness and purity and is a favorite food for children, scares about milk safety tend to get a lot of attention, even if not based on facts.

Project Goal

The overall goal is to enhance consumer welfare in the dairy sector and to improve safety and reduction in milk losses. This is to be realized through evidence based policy advocacy action, capacity building and lobbying for policy and practice change in the dairy sector in a bid to spur actions leading to adoption of inclusive policies, regulations and programs for milk safety and loss reduction, and improvement in the coordination and implementation of milk safety and loss policies by government for increased market access and investments within the dairy industry in Kenya.

Activities

  • CSOs Capacity Development
  • Knowledge Generation and Dissemination
  • Support to Advocacy Strategies and Actions

Expected Output

  • CSOs capacities improved
  • Evidence available
  • Advocacy Strategies and Plans Available

Expected Outcomes

1. Increased awareness and participation of CSOs in Milk safety & Loss Meetings, policy review platforms and alliances with government and private sector

2. Enhanced stakeholders awareness and increased knowledge and understanding of all relevant actors on food safety and losses

3. Increased and sustained consumer voice and CSO influence

4. Improved collaboration between CSOs and dairy Sector Stakeholders on milk safety and loss

5. Enhanced accountability by dairy stakeholders along the value chain

6. Increased commitment/political will to adopt practices and/or policies on milk safety and loss (national and county level)

7. Increased focus on milk safety and loss reduction by businesses/ private investors in Kenya

8. Inclusive policies framework for milk safety and loss developed, adopted and implemented by government agencies, including the food safety authority

9. Increased budget allocation and investment on milk safety loss control (County Level CIDPs, Budgets)

10. Enhanced service provision by government and value chain actors

Expected Impact

  • Improved food safety and reduced food loss
  • It is expected that regular generation of knowledge (Research by IFPRI and 3R) on emerging issues of milk safety and losses and best practices, participation in and contribution to relevant processes for policy development, implementation and reporting will lead to awareness among the different stakeholders involved in the dairy sector.
  • Engagement in awareness campaigns at the county level based on the emerging evidence/ research will drive consumers to demand for safe milk and held those in power accountable.
  • The Consumer online Platform for reporting and addressing emerging consumer issues relating safety and losses will channel information to all the stakeholders and get recommendations for addressing milk safety and milk loss through the project webpage which will be disseminated widely for general public information.

The Project is supported by Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV Kenya)

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