Vegetable traceability to enhance consumer safety

Vegetable vendors have been encouraged to set up traceability systems to increase food safety.

According to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), there is need for farm to fork monitoring system to increase consumption of healthy foods and open up international markets for Kenyan vegetables.

Kenya’s vegetable consumption has remained stagnant over the past decade at 100-130 grams per person per day below World Health Organization’s (WHO)) 400 grams recommendation.

Nutritionists blame the low consumption especially in urban areas to poor food safety that has seen many shy away from consuming vegetables.

As a result vegetable vendors are being encouraged to consider putting up a traceability system to ensure they source vegetables from accredited farmers.

Increased food safety is taunted to increase the country’s vegetable consumption creating additional markets for farmers.
Good food safety rankings will also create additional international market for Kenyan produce.

The Netherlands has started a Ksh 1.9 billion vegetable for all programme that seeks to increase vegetable safety and consumption.

According to WHO poor vegetable consumption leads to an annual 3.9 million deaths globally.