Wednesday, December 19, 2007

KENYA: WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?

As part of the BBC's season looking at sustainable food, we take a peek in the fridges of people around the world and ask what motivates their food choices.
Alice Omondi is a teacher at Kerarapon Primary School, near Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.
Contents: Fresh produce: oranges, mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, spinach, kale (commonly known as sukuma wiki in Kenya); milk, water and soda.
Origin: It is very difficult to get hold of some types of fruits and vegetables from the local markets, so we often have to rely on the supermarket. However, I would prefer to use the market - where I can buy produce straight from the farmers - as the supermarket is much more expensive.
I am very concerned about issues of food safety, particularly in terms of where vegetables are grown.

FRIDGE SECRETS

Here in Nairobi, there are particular areas I know very well, where these vegetables are planted near sewers. So you have to be careful if you are buying them at the market. The supermarkets, however, do a thorough check on source and quality.
When I go to buy food, especially at the supermarket, I check the labels, to see where the food is produced and what is in it. I try to understand before I buy.
In Kenya, I think our farmers are able to produce crops in a sustainable manner. But they get very little help from the government in terms of technical advice and access to loans for large-scale investments. I don't think I could boycott food that was transported by air because some varieties are not available in Kenya. It is the only way to get hold of them.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

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