Be Careful When Eating Pork, Chicken Sold In Supermarkets- Kenyans Told
The research, which aimed to identify the resistance patterns of bacteria from pork and poultry meat samples purchased from leading supermarket and retail outlets in Kenya...
Marvin Chege 
The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) on Tuesday, March 21 released a new study warning Kenyans against consuming raw pork and chicken sold in supermarkets.
The study which was done in collaboration with the World Animal Protection, Center for Microbiology Research revealed that the two meat products are exposing customers to a risk of illnesses because they are contaminated with bacterial pathogens.
The research, which aimed to identify the resistance patterns of bacteria from pork and poultry meat samples purchased from leading supermarket and retail outlets in Kenya, found that out of the 393 samples collected, 98.4 per cent of pork and 96.6 per cent of poultry were contaminated with high levels of bacteria.
Inside a pig farm. /FILE
Among the 611 bacterial isolates recovered, researchers found that 38.5 per cent were multi-drug resistant.
“This resistance was noted for critically essential antimicrobials (according to the WHO) such as rifampicin (96%), ampicillin (35%), cefotaxime (9%), cefepime (6%), and ciprofloxacin (6%). Moreover, there was high resistance to key antimicrobials for veterinary medicine such as tetracycline (39%), sulfamethoxazole (33%), and trimethoprim (30%),” the study stated in part.
Scientists further exposed that the contamination could be through the extensive use of antibiotics for preservation and growth promotion in chickens and pigs, warning that the resistance might be increasing over time. Researchers did not, however, establish the source of microbial contamination.
They further noted that it is essential to spread awareness about the judicious use of antibiotics and take preventive measures to reduce disease burden, further calling for responsible antibiotic use in poultry and chicken farming.
They also pointed out the need for supermarkets to adhere to hygienic principles when handling and processing pork and chicken meat products to reduce the potential risk of microbial contamination.
“Though there was a potential of cross-contamination in the fridge/freezer shelves through liquid drips from one food item to another, the likelihood of this happening was reduced because the samples were found to be shrink-wrapped in polymer plastic film bags at the time of sampling. Therefore, the reported bacterial contamination of pork and chicken meat might have its origins at the farm level during the slaughtering process or packaging,” the research said.
Samples were collected from leading supermarkets in five towns, namely Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nanyuki, and Eldoret over a period of one year and experiments done at KEMRI, with the study discovering that the contamination could morph into a silent pandemic since people who are affected by it fall sick but the available drugs cannot treat them.
"If you eat the chicken, or pork from the supermarkets, especially those that have antimicrobial resistance genes, it is likely to be passed down to you,” Victor Yamo, a scientist with World Animal Protection, warned, further likening the situation to the COVID-19 pandemic which claimed three million lives and warning that a continuing trend of this could kill 10 million people every year.
Back in 2019, an NTV expose by investigative journalist Dennis Okari uncovered how rogue supermarket officials use chemicals, to increase the shelf life of products, putting at risk the lives of millions of Kenyans.
Okari spoke to a supermarket attendant, who disclosed that sometimes, meat is laced with food sulphites, also referred to as dawa ya nyama, to make it appear fresh longer.
Meat being sold in a supermarket as featured in the 'Red Alert' investigative feature on NTV. /YOUTUBE
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