A CCTV footage of a milk vendor delivering milk along Lang'ata Road in Nairobi on Friday, May 1, 2020, has caused a stir after it surfaced online.
In the video, two people hop out of the lorry carrying milk and head to the back, where a woman opens the vehicle's rear and is handed milk in a container. She leans to the side and then hands the milk back to a person in the vehicle.
This has stirred allegations that the woman was spitting in the milk, thus eliciting mixed reactions from netizens.
However, Kenyans.co.ke on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, established that the vendor was not spitting in the milk as alleged, rather checking for the scent of the milk, primarily to determine freshness.
A resident of Lang'ata road who spoke to our news desk, revealed that the vendors deliver milk in their area and that they check for odour from the milk prior to distributing on a regular .
"They come to our estate from time to time. They smell the milk from the different containers to check if it has gone bad," she revealed, further noting that the process also ensured they don't get complaints from clients for bad milk.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Lawrence Ngotho a vertinary officer stated that even without the use of a hydrometer, or use of chemicals approved by the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB), people with experience in the sector have learnt to use scent to ascertain the freshness of milk.
"Yes you can use the sense of smell to know if milk is fresh or not. There are people who are used to it and can detect it by just smelling. However, using chemicals is the best, because it can detect if the cow of which the milk is from, is sick," Ngotho stated.
He asserted that though scent can be effective to some extent, it is not all conclusive, and several other measures need to be employed to ensure safety of dairy produce.
Joyce Khavere, a dairy farmer in Kajiado, stated that though the use of chemicals and hydrometer are the approved methods, people still employ the traditional use of scent.
"You can use scent to know if milk is bad, fresh or not, however, this mostly depends on the container that carries the milk. If it is dirty, then the milk will develop a scent, and will go bad faster, because the scent signifies the presence of bacteria," Joyce stated.
"But for testing if the milk has been diluted with water, they use a match stick. You light it and insert in a sample of milk with water, it goes off immediately. If it continues to burn then the milk is okay," she added.
Members of the public on seeing the video, shared varied opinions, with a number castigating the woman for doing so in public.
However, a majority raised the question of why in public, while others, concurred that she may have been checking for odour to ascertain the freshness of the milk.
"Maybe she is doing a smell check of samples from different cans. Did you see her spit? Don't judge. But of course that should be investigated," Robert Kiplagat remarked.
"No course of alarm, you can detect if milk is adulterated through smelling. At first I was also worried. At KCC they have an expert who just smells the milk and determines the freshness and purity," Joseph Mwaura claimed.
In ensuring that milk released into the Kenyan Market, Kenya Dairy Board ordered that dairy farmers ensure that only pasteurized milk is sold, along with several other stringent measures for storage and transportation.
"Vehicles for distribution of dairy produce shall have fully enclosed bodies with well-fitted solid doors to ensure that the integrity and the quality of dairy produce is not compromised," a statement by KDB reads in part.
"Personnel handling milk and/or engaged in milk transportation shall, to the satisfaction of the Board, be provided with basic skills in evaluating milk to determine its quality, to the satisfaction of the Board, have basic professional knowledge in dairy produce manufacture," the statement adds.
KDB further warns that any person who contravenes any provisions of these regulations is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine of one hundred thousand shillings or three months imprisonment or to both.
