A man buys milk from a vendor. Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) has warned that such milk could be adulterated, hence a health risk. [Photo|Daily Nation]
Raw milk sold by vendors is likely to be dirty and contaminated with harmful chemicals, and a risk to health.
The Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) has warned that such milk is not tested at the source and during handling, hence its quality and safety could be highly compromised.
"It’s also not processed, regulated and traceable. The handling practices are generally poor and predispose the milk to contamination, including adulteration," KDB Director Margaret Kibogy said on Wednesday as quoted by the Star.
Kibogy defended processed milk saying 98.6 percent is of high quality.
"The Kenya Dairy Board has consistently encouraged consumers to buy milk and products of certified quality milk that has been processed, packaged and tested at every stage of production.The products are certified labelled and traceable," Kibogy added.
She was reacting to a recent study, which found that farmers and raw milk vendors routinely add water, antibiotics and unauthorised preservative herbs to their milk.
The study by researchers from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, the University of Nairobi and the Agriculture ministry was published three weeks ago in the Panafrican Medical Journal.
The study was carried out in Lamu, but the authors say the findings rhyme with other studies conducted in Nairobi, Nakuru and Narok.
Water was identified as the main adulterant. Water lowers the nutritional value of milk, interferes with processing qualities and poses a risk of contaminating it.