Bio Foods Products Limited has officially launched the 'Safe Milk Kenya' project co-funded by a USAID grant.
The project represents a step towards ensuring the safety and quality of dairy products, thus bolstering the industry's overall impact in Kenya.
The campaign came up due to the continuing prevalence of dangerous mycotoxins, the most common aflatoxin in food and dairy.
Their focus is a food system end-to-end value chain oriented campaign, that seeks to reduce aflatoxin contamination in the Kenyan dairy ecosystem.
The launch on Friday had US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, PS Agriculture and Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke and Managing Director Kenya Dairy Board Margaret Kibogy.
"I am very passionate about agriculture and smallholder farmers. The partnership is between us and Bio Foods, not just about business. We intend to ensure every Kenyan has access to safe food," US ambassador Meg Whitman said.
"We will equip farmers with techniques and tools to produce safe dairy products."
Aflatoxin contamination of milk has become a major problem in the dairy industry.
It has led to the reduction of animal productivity, causing animal death and exposing consumers to a high risk of terminal illnesses including cancer and in some cases death.
The initiative brought together the private, public and development sectors.
PS State Department for Livestock Development said the initiative aligns with the government's goal of enhancing milk safety and quality.
"Milk plays a big part in the agricultural sector. We are aimed at increasing dairy farmers' incomes, fostering consumer confidence, and overall improvement in the dairy industry," Mueke said.
The campaign also aims at raising awareness among consumers and farmers on the impact of high levels of aflatoxin in milk on health.
Through this, they will provide training and advice on mitigation measures to reduce it.
Also present was Nairobi Deputy Governor James Njoroge who said the launch could not have come at a better time than now.
"Frequent occurrence of aflatoxin is considered a challenge to food safety. Despite public awareness campaigns, homemade and commercial feeds greatly accumulate aflatoxins. Nairobi city government seeks to enhance food safety and support agriculture through extensional services," he said.
The project also aims to test and monitor production processes to limit contamination of dairy products.
Consequently, it is aligned with Bio Foods' mission that everyone should have access to safe, healthy and nutritious food.
The USAID and Bio Foods partnership seeks to leverage its expertise and resources, working towards a future where aflatoxin contamination is reduced in the Kenyan Dairy Industry.