The Kenya Bureau of Standards is harmonising food safety standards with those of the East African Community, according to the Nation newspaper.
A policy has been adopted for maize in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, an official said yesterday. Plans are also at an advanced stage to standardise policies on fish.
The bureau lake region head of testing services, Martin Nyakiamo, said in Kisumu town that the move had been brought about by increased movements of commodities within the region following the establishment of the Customs Union.
He was addressing a grain trade workshop.
The participants urged the standards body to set up inspection and testing points at the Tanzania and Uganda border towns of Isebania and Busia, which are used by grain importers.
They also demanded that the watchdog exert more pressure on millers to stick to safety standards and correct storage.
The millers were blamed for offering an alternative market for substandard and contaminated produce.
Up to 99% of cases of food poisoning reported in Kenya in recent years resulted from grain handled by the millers, they said.
