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Hold your fork! That juicy meat may be toxic

A butchery in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Meat is a delicacy for many. In terms of preference, chicken and pork rank considerably higher than beef, mutton, fish and rabbit meat. But, how safe is the meat Kenyans consume? Not very safe. 

The World Animal Protection, an animal welfare organisation, has raised concerns about the safety of pork and poultry meat from supermarkets. A recent study found that these two products were contaminated with bacterial and antimicrobial residues. The study done between April and July 2020 saw a total of 187 pork samples and 206 chicken samples collected from six supermarket branches in six counties of Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Laikipia, Uasin Gishu and Nyeri.

Bacterial contaminants

The samples analysed at Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi were checked for bacterial growth and sensitivity to World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised antibiotics.

Some 184 pork samples accounting for 98.4 per cent of the total and 199 chicken meat samples accounting for 96.6 per cent were found to be contaminated.

The common contaminant was E.coli bacteria though known enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella were also isolated. While a majority of the contaminants were not necessarily harmful, the presence of Salmonella and Shigella was a concern as there is the likelihood of an animal origin from the farm level.

“By eliminating the worst methods and practices of animal production such as the use of cages, crowded or barren conditions, poorly ventilated production units with wet beddings and inadequate feeding systems, animals shall be less stressed hence less likely to suffer illness, leading to less dependency on antibiotics,” says Dr Victor Yamo of World Animal Protection.

 A study in Kenya by the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership shows that up to 70 per cent of the imported antibiotics are given to chickens, pigs and cows.

Withdrawal Period

When one consumes contaminated meat, food poisoning can occur. Food poisoning causes gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea, vomiting as well as fever and headache among other symptoms. Another area of concern is failure by farmers to observe withdrawal period after treating their animals with antibiotics.  After taking the drugs especially antimicrobials, they remain in the animal’s body before they can all be excreted. Some portions of the antimicrobials is excreted in animal products such as eggs and milk.

All drugs have withdrawal period. This is the period between the last treatment and when the eggs, milk and meat is considered safe for human consumption. Veterinarians ought to advice farmers and producers on withdrawal periods.