If you eat, you should care about how your food is raised and who raises it!

Sewer irrigating farmer in Nairobi

The Nairobi commercial vegetable sector has developed immensely, taking advantage of the availability of waste and sewer water generated from residential areas and the rapid access to city markets. A lot of farmers within a 20km radius of Nairobi Center practice irrigation utilizing raw sewage water suspected to contain the full spectrum of pathogens, many of which can survive for several weeks when discharged onto fields (Amoha et al., 2006). Use of sewage water for farming also results in excessive accumulation of heavy metals in soils which in turn leads to elevated levels of heavy metal uptake by crops, which in turn affects food safety.

Obsession with aesthetic attributes like spotlessness, color, shape and size as opposed to health-wise attributes by consumers has encouraged excessive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers as well as raw sewage water irrigation. This is in fact impacting negatively on our health in the long term!

Source your vegetables from a clean, crisp, non-polluted farm

I have had my own share of frustrations with the Nairobi up market grocers with their obsession with size and shine on eggplants. A lot of fruits and vegies are getting waxed to prevent moisture loss, protect them from bruising during transportation, and increase their shelf life. Ask your grocer about the kind of wax used on their surface even if you are going to peel it. (Good luck!).
Petroleum-based waxes contain solvent residues or wood rosins. It is not just the wax itself that may be of concern but the other compounds often added to it - ethyl alcohol or ethanol for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) as a film former or soap as a flowing agent.

Cowpea plants at a farm in Makindu

Fresh Okra in Makindu

Eggplants in Makindu

Next time you buy your veggies, consider how they were nurtured and the source's credibility. Remember, your greatest wealth is your health!