Experts call for sobriety in the proposed Kenya Food & Drugs Authority (KFDA)
Richard Fritz (Consultant, Food & Agriculture Export Alliance, USA) ; Dr. Christopher Wanga (co-Chair, KFDA), Julia Otaya (Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Coca, Cola) and Roya Galindo (Director, Regulatory Services, North American Meat Institute) during the panel discussion. KENYA - With an eye on a vibrant, well-coordinated, harmonized, Related Agencies Appropriating Subcommittees. In East Africa, a well-structured and efficient food safety regulatory system in country like Tanzania has gone ahead to have one agency, Tanzania Kenya, stake holders at the just concluded AFMASS Eastern Food & Drugs Authority (TFDA) which has enormous challenges. “From where I sit, the challenges the food industry stakeholders Africa conference and expo agreed that there is need to rejig the food safety regulatory environment in Kenya to create clear and are facing is what we are walking through. We want the KFDA to specific levels of responsibility, build customer confidence, support be in place, but what is the problem?” probes Dr. Wanga. He says that looking at the Laws of Kenya, the Food, Drugs and Chemical businesses and facilitate local and international trade. The panel, which was composed of Julia Otaya, Scientific and Substance Act is a very good law. This includes the Public Health Regulatory Affairs Manager at the East and Central Africa, Dr. Act and other food safety related laws. The enforcement of the laws Christopher Wanga, the Chairman of the Kenya Veterinary Board has, however, for a long time not met the needs of the public and and the co-chair of the proposed Kenya Food & Drugs Authority, the industry at large. Fritz, who has had a long experience working with regulators in Roya Galindo, Director, Regulatory Services, North America Meat Institute, and Richard Fritz, Consultant for the Food & Agriculture many developing countries including China, Vietnam and Ghana Export Alliance (FAEA), USA, made recommendations for the in their quest to reform their food safety regulatory systems, adviced proposed Kenya Food & Drugs Authority (KFDA), which is in its the delegates that it is not an easy path to coming up with the KFDA, considering conflicting interests are bound to voice their formative stages of development. Seating at the food safety and regulatory management opposition to any significant changes to their mandates. However, discussion at the recent event, the panelists reminded delegates that he said that it is important to learn from the rest of the world on food safety is a complex and most stakeholders have been thrust how they have reformed their regulations so that Kenya doesn't go into the deep end of matters, with a mix of regulatory frameworks through the same challenges other regulators are grappling with. He also called for sobriety from the existing regulators to allow across the world. For example, in the US, despite the well-known Food & reform to take place. Drugs Administration (FDA) doing regulatory work, at least a dozen federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Food plus medicine regulator? implement more than 35 statutes that make up the federal part One of the major discussion points in the proposed KFDA has been of the food safety system, with 28 House and Senate committees whether to blend the regulation of food products with those for medical purposes. While some are vouching for distinct agencies providing oversight of these statutes. The primary Congressional committees responsible for food linked to a main body, others wonder whether we should have one safety are the Agriculture Committee and Commerce Committee strong entity like the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority. “The Tanzanian experience may not be the best because if in the House; the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and the Labor and Human Resources Committee in the Senate; you’re not yet regulating medicines well then you bring on board and the House and Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, and food from a position already at a disadvantage, it even gets it into a 40 JUNE 2019 | FOOD BUSINESS AFRICA
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