This archive report was first published on 16 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, many industries have been forced to adapt and implement new safety measures to protect their customers and employees. The meat industry in Kenya is no exception, and the crisis has inadvertently improved the safety of meat products.
Joe, a pastoralist beef farmer, has traditionally walked his three-year-old Sahiwals to the nearest animal market for sale. However, due to the pandemic, he now sells his cows directly from his farm and has installed a disinfectant footbath at his gate for all traders visiting to purchase his cattle.
By keeping away from crowds, Joe has not only protected himself and others from COVID-19 but also protected his animals from other infectious diseases that could compromise the safety of beef. This has resulted in improved quality and safety of beef from his Sahiwals.
Other measures that Joe has instituted include proper animal nutrition, which enhances immunity and reduces antibiotic use and residues. This ensures that his Sahiwals are healthy and provide safe and better-quality beef.
At the local abattoir where Joe's Sahiwals are slaughtered, operations have significantly changed. The chaotic scenes that usually characterized the abattoir are a thing of the past, with no more crowding and a strict set of rules and directives in place.
Butchers and flayers now adhere to handwashing and sanitizing, and the animal market near the abattoir is non-operational, reducing the risk of contaminating beef and by-products with other food-borne infectious agents.
Licensed meat transporters ensure that beef is delivered to various retail outlets, and they are also helping in the delivery of fresh food to consumers, thus ensuring safety of those foods.
Simple actions like regular hand-washing and sanitizing have become a norm, and retail outlets like butcheries and supermarkets are now more conscious of meat handling hygiene, protecting consumers from food-borne infections.
Considering that the safety of products like meat, milk, and mutton is a factor of cumulative controls along the value chain, it is imperative that hazards of whatever nature must be prevented at all costs, with or without a pandemic.
