BUSINESS

List of KEBS requirements for starting a food manufacturing business in Kenya

Kamaitha

Of late, I have been interested in manufacturing. I have been visiting Government agencies to get as much information as possible.

A week ago I visited EPZ and learnt about their incubation program for Kenyan entrepreneurs. This week, I visited the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).

KEBS is a Government agency, whose aims and objectives are preparation of standards relating to products,
measurements, materials, processes, etc. What I discovered is that KEBS have different pricing for different companies.

For example, a small business that has a turnover of less than Ksh 200,000 a month will pay Ksh 5,800 to test up to 4 products. This is mainly for the Micro, Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

If you run a small company and it manages to have a turnover of between Ksh 200,000 and Ksh 500,000 per month, you are allowed to test between 5 to 10 products at a price of Ksh 11,600 VAT inclusive.

KEBS requirements for food manufacturing

For those interested in food manufacturing industry, here is what KEBS will expect from you before they give you the standardization mark.

  1. Acquire respective product standard, Code of Hygiene Standards also known as KS EAS 39. This is a 24-page booklet that will cost you Ksh 2,670.  It explains the code of practice when it comes to hygiene.
  2. Acquire a public health certificate that will take you back Ksh 10,000
  3. Medical certificate for each staff , which you can get at a local hospital at Ksh 1,000
  4. A processing facility which is approved by the Public Health
  5. Comply with the labeling requirements as outlined in the KS EAS, a booklet on labeling of pre-packaged foods that cost Ksh 2,460 from the KEBS library.
  6. Have protective clothing for staff
  7. Provide hand washing facility with soap or sanitizer
  8. Establish clear mechanisms of dealing with customer complaints

Should you have all the above, you can apply for the standardization mark by giving your food manufacturing company’s details and the certificate of incorporation. After three weeks, you will have your KEBS mark.

 

I hope this has been helpful. By the way, here is information on the export incubation program.