Agricultural supply platform Twiga Foods has announced plans to set up facilities to test fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues. Under the Sh23 million (€194) plan, Twiga will become the first Kenyan company to regularly test maximum residue levels.

The periodic testing of produce is meant to address consumer concerns over contamination of agricultural produce with agrochemicals. On average, Twiga handles 130 tons of produce daily. The firm said in a statement that besides testing samples of produce for pesticide residues, farmers will also be trained on the safe use of agrochemicals. Chief Operating Officer Kikonde Mwatela said this would ensure the highest standards of food safety are maintained from the farm to the dinner table. “We are proactively and voluntarily introducing standards in the domestic market for agricultural produce comparable to those in the export market. Twiga Foods is committed to ensuring the highest quality is delivered to consumers, even as we maintain access to reliable markets by farmers and efficiently delivery produce to vendors,” said Mwatela.

The initiative is in partnership with Agriculture and Food Authority and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation. Established in 2014, Twiga works to address gaps in the market of agricultural produce by providing an efficient marketplace. Standardmedia.co.ke  describes how the technology-based platform sources fruits and vegetables from 8,370 farmers across 20 counties and delivers directly to 5,226 vendors across Nairobi and its surroundings.

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