Antibiotic Residues in Milk from Three Popular Kenyan Milk Vending Machines

Abstract

Milk vending machines (MVMs) are growing in popularity in Kenya and worldwide. Milk vending machines dispense varying quantities of locally sourced, pasteurized milk. The Kenya Dairy Board has a regulatory framework, but surveillance is weak because of several factors. Milk vending machines' milk is not routinely screened for antibiotics, thereby increasing potential for antibiotic misuse. To investigate, a total of 80 milk samples from four commercial providers ( = 25), street vendors ( = 21), and three MVMs ( = 34) were collected and screened in Eldoret, Kenya. Antibiotic residue surveillance occurred during December 2016 and January 2017 using Idexx SNAP tests for tetracyclines, sulfamethazine, beta-lactams, and gentamicin. Overall, 24% of MVM samples and 24% of street vendor samples were presumably positive for at least one antibiotic. No commercial samples were positive. Research into cost-effective screening methods and increased monitoring by food safety agencies are needed to uphold hazard analysis and critical control point for improving antibiotic stewardship throughout the Kenyan private dairy industry.

Making milk quality assurance work on an unlevel playing field : Lessons from the Happy Cow pilot

“…More recently, other studies have also pointed to other safety concerns including high bacterial load, prevalence of antibiotic residue, unsafe aflatoxin content and unacceptable somatic cell count. Low levels of compliance affect both raw and pasteurized milk, including in the emerging retail innovations of milk ATMs (Bebe et al 2018;Kosgey et al 2018;Kashongwe et al 2017;Langat et al 2016;Ndungu et al 2016aNdungu et al , 2016b.…”

Milk dispensing machines in Kenya’s dairy industry: trends and scenario analysis

“…Milk sold in plastic containers, which is sold raw, had many more samples that did not meet the various standards (Bebe et al, 2018b). Another study, conducted by Kosgey et al (2018) in Eldoret town focused on assessing the prevalence of antibiotic residues from packaged milk, ATM milk and raw milk sold by informal traders (street vendors). The study was conducted on 80 milk samples: 25 pre-packaged milk (commercial brands), 34 milk samples from ATMs and 21 milk samples from informal traders (Table 12).…”

“…An emerging market innovation is milk retailing through vending machines (popularly known as "milk ATMs"), which are placed in strategic market locations and sell chilled, pasteurized milk. Consumers bring their own containers, so they get affordable access to processed milk that can be bought in flexible volumes as demanded (Bebe et al, 2018a;Kosgey et al, 2018). The spread of milk ATMs has provided business opportunities to entrepreneurs in urban centres, which indicates the potential for growing the formal market segment.…”

“…This mainly relates to pasteurization and minimizing milk handling, which should enhance hygiene and assure quality and safety to consumers (Bebe et al, 2018a). However, the growth in milk ATM businesses has occurred in a context of regulatory gaps that has resulted in various compliance issues that raise concerns about the safety of milk dispensed in ATMs (Bebe et al, 2018a;Kosgey et al, 2018). Currently, the KDB is reviewing the regulations with the objective of enhancing compliance and to improve consumer confidence in the industry.…”

Resíduos De Antibióticos No Leite: Causas E Impactos Para a Indústria E Saúde Pública

“…No Nepal, leite fresco obtido de produtores, laticínios caseiros e cooperativas apresentaram penicilinas e sulfonamidas (KHANAL et al, 2018). No Kenia, o leite oriundo de máquinas de venda apresentaram vários antibióticos (KOSGEY et al, 2018). Da mesma forma, na Itália, amostras de leite disponíveis no mercado foram positivas para vários tipos de antimicrobianos (IZZO et al, 2020).…”