Prevalence of Adulteration of Milk Obtained From Vendors in Supermarkets in Westlands Sub-county, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Poor milk handling practices due to lack of knowledge or deliberate adulteration compromises the safety of milk and eventually the health of the consumer. With the increase of milk vending machines in supermarkets, the knowledge and practices of vendors concerning milk hygiene are critical in determining milk safety. The operation of milk vending machines is guided by strict regulations that aim at ensuring proper practices among milk handlers, but the level of implementation among milk vendors is questionable. This study sought to establish hygiene knowledge and handling practices of milk vending machine handlers and prevalence of adulteration of milk obtained from vendors in selected supermarkets in Westlands sub-county, Nairobi, Kenya. To achieve this, exhaustive sampling was conducted on milk vending machine handlers in the selected supermarkets. Milk samples (N=30) were collected using sterile containers and analyzed for physico-chemical and microbial quality using ISO standard test methods. Vendors were interviewed using face-to-face semi-structured questionnaires about their hygiene knowledge and handling practices of milk vending machines. Data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software version 23 where descriptive statistics (frequencies, proportions, mean and median). Inferential statistics was used to determine associations (chi square, correlation, and t-test), while Genstat software version 15.0 was used for analysis of the physico-chemical and microbial quality...