Six key steps in meat inspection

Joel Amenya a butcher waits for customers at his Kisii Municipal market butchery [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

Many Kenyans love chicken, be it at home, hotels or at parties. The estimated indigenous chicken population in Kenya is close to 30.3 million according to 2009-2019 livestock census. On average, it is estimated that we consume close to 50 million chickens, both indigenous and exotic breeds combined, annually making our per capita consumption per person per year a paltry 1kg. Do all the chickens we eat go through rigorous inspection by government personnel? Nope. Ideally all meats should be inspected by specially trained government personnel to ensure that only wholesome, fresh poultry and poultry products that are fit for human consumption reach the market. Most licensed inspectors are veterinarians or specially trained individuals in public health who carry the task of deciding, approving, and enforcing regulations as per the law. In an ideal situation, the inspection protocol should include the following stages.