Who We Are
Food Safety and Growers Association is a national non-profit member organization body representing the collective voice of food safety professionals, organizations, and growers in Kenya to provide a platform to address food safety concerns both for local consumers and the export market.
Food safety concerns negatively affect the country’s ability to boost consumer health and enhance local, regional, and international trade – making Kenya vulnerable to hunger, food-borne illnesses and death, trade restrictions, and loss of economic and social potential.
It was founded in 2019 through a joint collaboration of stakeholders in the horticulture industry to bring together commercial horticulture practitioners to promote collective action for the sustained improvement of their farming enterprises and in addressing industry challenges in Kenya.
FSGAK's key role is to coordinate the fresh produce sectors in Kenya through various mechanisms to engage in policy advocacy and value chain development that promote increased productivity, competitiveness, and attract investments into the areas of food safety.
FSGAK endeavors to be the lead entity in advocacy for a competitive and enabling environment for the sector at county, national, regional, continental, and global levels. This is envisaged to be achieved through strong partnerships with National & County Governments, government agencies, development partners, growers, and other stakeholders to revolutionize the fresh produce sub-sector leading to growth, inclusive wealth, and ultimately the creation of jobs.
Food Safety and Growers Association offers investors, managers, and professionals in the food safety arena in Kenya to gather, network, and do business. We strongly believe that by coming together, we will be able to share the latest trends in safety and technology; regulations, standards, and compliance; operations and sustainable adoption of safe practices and technologies in the entire agriculture and food value chain in Africa.
Our Values
- Member Centric - Our members can count on us to champion the provision of safe food for all Kenyans and internationally as we promote food security and sustainability.
- Professionalism – We strive to do the right things at all times.
- integrity – We have a culture of openness and remain accountable for all our actions.
- Insensitivity - We strongly believe that when we speak with one voice, our concerns will be addressed.
Membership
The members support Food Safety and Growers Association financially through membership fees and annual subscriptions. In return, FSGA is able to offer its members a sound value for their money through expert support and operations within the confines and needs of our members. To be approved to join, potential members should be actively involved in the food safety space.
Membership is conducted through an online application or upon request of an application form from the secretariat. The FSGA Board of Directors has discretionary authority to review membership applications through its various vetting organs and determine eligibility and appropriateness of applicants based on agreed criteria.
As a member of the Food Safety and Growers Association, a member must agree to conduct their business according to the following principles:
- Uphold and follow the Rules of Conduct, observing not only the letter, but also the spirit, of these Rules.
- Present all products and services to customers and prospects in a truthful and honest manner.
- Conduct themselves in such a manner as to reflect only the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and responsibility, because they recognize that their actions will have far-reaching effects, not only on their own business, but on that of the FSGA as well.
- Accept and carry out the various prescribed responsibilities of the Food Safety and Growers Association.
- Not bring the association into disrepute.
Membership Categories
- Associations
- Corporates
- Academia/Research
- Development Partners
- Cooperatives
- NGO/Civil Societies
- Financial Institutions
- Growers (Large Scale and Small scale)
Member Benefits
- High Level Engagement: Participation in very high-level roundtable meetings with key policymakers to address urgent emerging issues impacting food safety.
- Policy Development: In collaboration with members and other stakeholders, participation in various FSGA engagement forums with all arms of Government and Government Agencies to advocate for policies that contribute to an enabling business environment for your members.
- Networking for your members: Through participation in various engagement platforms, events organized by other FSGA members/partners, and B2B meetings with visiting overseas delegations.
- Access to Information: Regular updates through various communication platforms (email, newsletters, etc.).
- Full participation at FSGA’s Annual General Meeting.
- Issuance of an FSGA Membership Certificate.
- Assistance to access top Government officials for company-specific issues.
- Assistance to get Government involvement in members’ activities, e.g. workshops.
- Consideration for high-level Government business delegation travels.
- Consideration for participating in business travels overseas organized by FSGA partners on a complimentary basis.
- Partnership opportunities in various areas.
- Priority consideration to quote for FSGA business (products or services).
- Discounted advertising on FSGA platforms.
- Exposure to different opportunities through organizing presentations by the offering organizations, e.g. financing.
- Negotiated rates for services emanating from FSGA partnerships.
- Participation in Public Private dialogue engagement platforms.
- Participation at Business-to-Business forums with delegates from various countries.
Operations
To be effective in its operations, Food Safety and Growers Association has the following departments:
- Finance and Administration: Oversees the finance and administration functions of accounting, financial management, human resources, administration, and their strategic contribution to FSGA’s work across the country.
- Business Development, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization: Responsible for forging collaborative partnerships with development partners, private sector, and public sector and most critically; fundraising.
- Membership, Policy, Training, and Advocacy: Membership recruitment and retention, advisory services to members through the development of training programs and trade fairs/expos. Also responsible for Government engagement on behalf of our members in a bid to ensure that we have favorable and sustainable policies. FSGA picks up concerns raised by its members in the horticulture sub-sector and addresses them with the Government through evidence-based lobbying and advocacy.
- Public Relations and Communications: Responsible for communication strategy development and implementation, brand management, marketing, and digital communication (social media and Website).