More than half of Kenyan milk traders adhere to standards – KDB

About 60 percent of milk traders are now abiding by the hygiene requirement and guidelines set to govern the milk industry by the  dairy regulator, this is according to Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) Chief Inspector Evans Mwangi.

The chief dairy inspector attributed the rise to the enormous training and awareness creation the board has undertaken among milk vendors over the years.

Mwangi said the dairy board has embarked on an inspection exercise to increase the level of compliance within the milk industry, alongside identifying the gap in the market that needs to be addressed.

Speaking Tuesday morning at Ruiru Town in Nairobi during the two-day exercise that will end Wednesday September 21st, the Chief Dairy Inspector said KDB is looking at the specific areas of concern in regards to the sale of milk and enforcement of the Dairy Industry Act that relates to various frameworks that require enforcement.

”We are here today on the ground to serve our stakeholders by providing advisory services that embrace hygienic practice and sale of safe milk,” he said.

Mwangi further noted that the purpose of the exercise was to assess the level of compliance, provide infrastructural framework of what needs to be done as far as businesses are concerned and establish centers of advisory that foster interaction between the board and stakeholders.

His remarks follow a memorandum of understanding signed between the Dairy Board and the Kenya Market Trust (KMT) in August this year that will see the latter address the issue of quality and regulations through massive training of milk traders and dispenser operators.

The partnership will see KMT conduct training for 250 traders across the country on safe milk handling and 100 dispensing operators to enhance quality and pilots on sustainable model to transforming formal milk channel.

”Of course there are areas of non-compliance relating to the sale of milk, sourcing and how the product is disposed to the consumer that KDB will address,” Mwangi further said.

”As a board we are keen on ensuring that consumers get safe milk by providing a framework of continuity and sustainability in the sale of safe milk,” added the Chief Dairy Inspector.

Mwangi said the board’s technical team on the ground is working towards ensuring that milk sellers are able to meet the requirements by offering them technical expertise like training, sensitisation and one-on-one interaction.

Present during the exercise was Kenya Dairy Board Thika Branch Manager Joyce Wamboi Nyamwathi.