The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) has issued a stark warning over the widespread presence of cancer-linked aflatoxins in cereals sold across Kenyan markets, revealing that some food samples contain contamination levels up to 50 times higher than internationally accepted safety standards.
The warning comes as the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) intensifies surveillance and enforcement efforts to remove contaminated food products from the market and protect consumers from potentially life-threatening health risks.
Speaking during activities marking World Food Safety Day, KALRO Director General Patrick Ketiem revealed that laboratory tests conducted on cereals sold in local markets uncovered alarming levels of aflatoxin contamination.
According to Ketiem, some samples recorded contamination levels of up to 500 parts per billion (ppb), far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended safety limit of 10 ppb.
“The only acceptable limit by the World Health Organization is 10. If you pass 10, it can’t be accepted,” Ketiem said.
He noted that some cereals currently available in Kenyan markets contain contamination levels ranging between 400 and 500 ppb, posing a significant public health threat to consumers.
Aflatoxins are toxic substances produced by molds, particularly Aspergillus flavus, which thrive in warm, humid conditions and poorly stored food products. The toxins commonly develop in crops that are not properly dried after harvest or are stored in damp environments.
According to KALRO, the contamination is primarily affecting staple cereals and grains that form the backbone of the Kenyan diet.These include maize and maize products, sorghum, millet, and groundnuts.
In response to the findings, KEBS has stepped up market surveillance and food safety inspections in an effort to identify and remove contaminated products from circulation.
The standards agency says it is working to ensure that food sold in Kenya meets established safety requirements and does not expose consumers to avoidable health risks.
Officials emphasized that food safety is a shared responsibility involving regulators, farmers, traders, manufacturers, and consumers.
“If it is not safe, it is not food,” one official stated during the World Food Safety Day events, underscoring the importance of maintaining safety standards throughout the food supply chain.
However, implementing widespread testing remains a challenge.
Many smallholder farmers and grain traders say food safety testing services remain too expensive and inaccessible for ordinary producers.
Authorities are also challenging cereal dealers and retailers to play a more active role in ensuring food safety.
Industry players are being urged to verify the quality of products entering their supply chains and reject cereals that fail to meet established standards.
Consumers, too, are being encouraged to become more vigilant.
Food safety experts advise shoppers to ask questions about the origin of products, how they were grown, the chemicals used during production, and the conditions under which they were transported and stored.
“We need consumers to be more demanding and ask the right questions in the market,” officials said.
KALRO and KEBS have also advised consumers to avoid purchasing unpackaged cereals from informal markets where storage and handling conditions cannot be verified.
Instead, they recommend buying packaged products that display valid KEBS certification marks.
