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.
1. Inspection of live birds before slaughter
This involves checking for any abnormal signs in the live bird prior to slaughter; it is also called antemortem inspection. The certified inspector’s job is to look for any signs of ill health to the birds while on the crates, holding area or in the hanging line in large abattoirs. Most vital signs to check include, respiratory noises, abnormal swellings, signs of bleeding and even mortality. Any birds that are physically sick are separated from healthy flock and all dead birds on arrival are condemned. The inspector is free to take samples for further analysis. All the sick birds should be slaughtered last and kept separately until approval for consumption or down grading is done.
2. Inspection after slaughter
This inspection is done after slaughter and is also referred to as post-mortem check. The inspector’s job is to look at the whole carcass and its internal organs and to remove any disease condition that might affect the human health if such a product reaches the table. Things like abnormal growths on internal organs, abscesses, rotten organs, discolouration will call for outright condemnation of specific birds or entire flock.
3. Condemnation of parts or entire flock
This is the prerogative of the inspector and is the most important job. There are several diseases that can lead an inspector to condemn a slaughtered bird. The list includes any symptom of systemic infection that may be brought by a virus, bacteria, fungi, or any toxins. Any form of tumours, or infections of the lungs, joints, liver, or any other organ in the abdominal cavity may be considered for condemnation. These condemned parts or birds must be isolated and kept in a locked room or in sealed containers for further disposal in a way that does not allow entry into the food chain.
4. Inspection of the entire processing method
The level of cleaning and sanitation of the facilities used during the processing of chicken is very important in safeguarding food safety and human health. It does not matter if you are slaughtering on top of a slab at home or in a complex abattoir, it is important that during opening of the cadaver (dead bird), extra care is needed to avoid spillage of the gut content on the meat which can lead to contamination and meat spoilage. Always use chlorinated fresh water during processing to avoid bacterial contamination.
5. Chilling of the meat after processing and package
During meat processing that involves use of hot water, the environment created is very ideal for proliferation of bacterial contaminants. This therefore means that we must quickly chill the product to temperature as low as two to four degrees centigrade to improve on the shelf life of the product. This can be done by keeping in a refrigerator or by blowing very cold air as is common in export slaughter plants. If the products are to be stored for another 24 hours, then the storage temperatures must be reduced further to -18 degrees centigrade.
6. Cleaning and disinfection
It is a general requirement that a thorough cleaning and disinfection using human grade approved chemicals are used as soon as the processing is complete. Frequent laboratory sampling should be done to monitor the level of sanitation and a compliance inspection certificate be kept at every facility.
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