State bans transportation of vegetables, fruits in open trucks

The Ministry of Health has outlawed the transportation of vegetables and fruits in open trucks across the country with immediate effect.

The ministry noted that the unhygienic transportation was exposing the produce to contamination by bacteria and heavy metals.According to the Chief Public Health officer Kepha Ombacho, recent studies had established the presence of lead in un-hygienically transported vegetables.Ombacho noted that the move to transport the food items in open picks up posed a major threat to consumers.“This unhygienic transportation exposes the food to contamination with microbial chemical hazards such as bacteria and heavy metals,” he said.

He noted that the law required that food should be protected from external contaminants during transport by making sure that the vehicles were completely covered.
The health officer noted that the covers were meant to protect the food items from dust, exhaust fumes and weather elements during transport.
He directed county officers of health to scale up surveillance by making sure that the transporters followed the law for the safety of the consumers.
“The protection and assurance of the safety of the consumer and general public is paramount to the ministry,” he said.
Nakuru County health officer Samuel King’ori said that they would be working with traffic police to address the problem.
Speaking in his office, King’ori said that they would educate the public and transporters on the need to observe the law.
“We shall liaise with the traffic police officers in dealing with this problem across the whole county,” he said.
King’ori pointed out to smoke emitted by vehicles as the most serious terming this as a severe health hazard that needed urgent action.

He confirmed that studies had indicated a high presence of lead metal in the produce that were transported in open trucks that were emitting smoke.“We are committed to dealing with this problem and we ask various stakeholders to work with us for the safety of the consumers,” he said.He said that the county bordered Nyandarua which was a major source of vegetables adding that they would engage transporters in safety mode of transport.