Report says major supermarkets in Kenya selling superbug laden meat

by Apr 8, 2021Animal Welfare, Antimicrobial resistance, My Write Ups, One Health

Kenyan consumers could be eating contaminated meat from the country’s major supermarkets. This is according to a study by World Animal Protection which is challenging stakeholders to improve animal welfare and ensure responsible use of antibiotics to reverse the trend.

The study by the animal welfare organisation, collected samples between April and May 2020 from the top six supermarkets in Nairobi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kisumu, Laikipia and Nyeri to determine presence of bacteria and their spectrum of antibiotic-resistant.

The laboratory analysis was done at the Centre for Microbiology Research at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

Out of the 187 pork samples, 98.4 percent had bacterial growth. In 206 chicken samples, 96.6 percent exhibited bacterial growth.

Key highlights from the report:

    • The most common contaminant was E. coli bacteria however known enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella were also isolated. While majority of the contaminants were not necessarily harmful, the presence of Salmonella and Shigella was concerning as there is likelihood of an animal origin from the farm level.
    • In the study, 38.5% of the 525 bacterial isolates examined recorded resistance to more than three antibiotics (Multi-drug resistant organisms or Superbugs). This resistance was also noted for high priority antibiotics on the WHO list such as Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Cefoxatime and Cefepime.
    • Interesting to note, the highest contamination was found in own brands managed by the supermarkets. It is against this backdrop that the World Animal Protection (Africa office) is urging industry players to improve animal welfare practices and ensure antibiotics are not abused. Supermarkets should start looking at policies around how they buy food supplies. They need to audit and ensure the producer is doing the right thing at the production level,
    • The report also noted that other studies have shown that poor animal welfare and stress factors have the potential of increasing the susceptibility of farm animals to diseases hence increasing the use of antimicrobials to control these infections while reducing the microbiological safety of animal products and threatening public health. for example, a study done in Kenya by the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP) reported that up to 70% of the imported antibiotics are given to chickens, pigs and cows.
    • The report showed there is a direct correlation between how animals are treated and the quality of the end product.  Morever, misuse of antibiotics in the food chain is impacts public health.

    Proposed solutions by World Animal Protection

    • The report noted that there is need to embrace and actively implement the One Health concept to understand the interconnectivity of animal health, human health and environmental health. For example, when people learn there is a problem with meat, they will tend to shift to eating mboga (vegetables), yet it is this mboga could also be contaminated from the environment and  used as food for humans and feed for some animals. It is therefore important to have a holistic and multisectoral approach in addressing antimicrobial resistance.
    • World Animal Protection believes that responsible use of antibiotics in farm animals is essential in tackling the growing Antimicrobial Resistance. This should be done by putting proper policies and measures aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics on animals by promoting higher welfare production systems in the livestock industry. Such systems should include good housing conditions, health care and the promotion of natural animal behaviour. They should also provide for improved management, biosecurity, hygiene, sanitation, optimal animal husbandry, nutrition, genetics and use of preventive methods such as vaccination, leading to improved animal health and welfare.
    • By eliminating the worst methods and practices of animal production such as the use of cages, crowded or barren conditions, poorly ventilated production units with wet beddings and inadequate feeding systems, animals shall be less stressed hence less likely to suffer illness, leading to less dependency on antibiotics. High welfare production standards are not only good for animals but also for people – their health, livelihoods and businesses.

    The call to action by World Animal Protection 

    World Animal Protection is calling on the following key stakeholders to take urgent action in addressing the superbug crisis:

    • Retailers / Supermarkets: There is a need to strengthen their food procurement policies in order to discourage animals raised in inhumane production systems from accessing their outlets. There is also need to ensure that their suppliers of livestock products commit to using antibiotics responsibly on their farms.
    • Livestock producers/farmers: To move to higher welfare production systems that caters for the fundamental freedoms of the animals and commit to responsible and prudent use of antibiotics in the production system.
    • Government: To strengthen policies and regulatory framework in livestock farming to allow for improved animal welfare and responsible antibiotic use of antibiotics. They should also enforce the available laws especially those that control the access and availability of antibiotics.
    • Consumers: To use their purchasing power to pressure retailers and supermarkets to source and retail products from high welfare production systems. They should also commit to better animal welfare by joining our campaigns to transform global food systems

    References / coverage of the report on mainstream media

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