Today’s launch of the ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management Systems Certification is a major milestone achievement for the Commission. The journey to attaining this recognition was a long and winding one. The Board and the Management made a strategic decision to benchmark the Commission’s meat processing procedures for safety, quality, legal and regulatory requirements with a recognized international standard.

The Commission aspires to win customer confidence due to high standards and procedures maintained within KMC operations which ensures food safety of the end products. It is with a strong background in food safety and quality that the Commission expects to differentiate itself from other international competitors.

The Commission being a dynamic and capable institution has embraced innovation in new products development, business process reengineering in order to keep ablest with the changing consumer needs as well as improve efficiency. To enable the Commission meet the strict quality requirements especially of the international markets, the Commission has taken a pro-active approach towards sensitizing the livestock keepers on the specifications in terms of age, weight and body conformation. However, a participatory approach by all stakeholders is necessary to commercialize the livestock production systems.

The ISO Certification journey has not been without challenges but the Commission positively took on the same so as to achieve this success and to reap the benefits accruing from it. It is important to note that the Government through the Ministry of Livestock Development was instrumental in providing us with financial resources and ensured the disease-free status and safety of livestock.

I would like to applaud the entire staff of the Commission for the high level of professionalism, commitment and teamwork through which this success has been achieved and I urge them to take the achievement to greater heights by ensuring continuous improvements. Special recognition goes to the Food Safety Team who worked tirelessly to ensure that the Commission’s quest for certification in food processing and management Systems - ISO 22000:2005 is achieved. My appreciation further goes to the Board of Commissioners for their guidance and support to the management which was indispensable to the achievement of this great honour.

Finally, I wish to assure all stakeholders that the Commission is committed to providing quality service and ensuring that the high standards are maintained and continuously improved.