Value chain assessment of animal source foods and
vegetables in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: Food safety,
quality and hygiene perceptions and practices
Sinaly Diarra (IRSAT), Michel Dione (ILRI), Charlotte Konkobo-Yameogo (IRSAT), Guy Ilboudo (ILRI), Kristina
Roesel (ILRI), Valérie Raymonde Lallogo (ILRI), Laurencia Ouattara (IRSAT) and Theo Knight-Jones (ILRI)
Webinar
20 May 2020

Outline
• Background
• Methods
• Results
• Chicken value chain – Consumption, availability, food safety, quality
and hygiene practices
• Vegetable value chain – Consumption, availability, food safety, quality
and hygiene practices
• Summary of high risky practices along the poultry and
vegetables value chains
• Recommendations for improving food safety

Objectives of the study
• Poultry and vegetables value chain mapping
• Understand typical consumer food purchase,
preparation, consumption practices,
preferences, and perceptions of food quality
and safety
• Identify food preparations and practices that
are high risk for consumers
• Obtain stakeholders’ suggestions on
improving safety of chicken and vegetables

Methods
• Desk review
• Field observations
• Key Informant Interviews with 28
value chain actors (group leaders, consumers,
traders, processors, producers, public and
private services)
• Focus group discussions with
• Consumers: HIHs – men/women, MHIs-
Men/women and LIHs – men/women
• Live chicken and grilled chicken retailers
• Vegetable retailers
• Poultry producers
• Opinion, tomatoed, cucumbers and mixed
vegetable producers (1 group each)
• Stakeholder validation

Demographic characteristics
Burkina Faso, a low-income country with:
• More than 20 million inhabitants (52% female)
• 2,5 million people in capital, Ouagadougou
• About 77,3 % population in urban areas
• 57.4% of Muslims; 34,9% Catholics in 2006
• 40.1% of the Burkinabè population lived below
poverty threshold in 2014
• Agriculture plays a major role (80 % active population)
• Poultry sector is 6% of the GDP)
• Vegetable sector (onions, tomatoes, cabbage and lettuce) is 3% of
GDP

The poultry value chain

Livestock production in Burkina Faso in 2011
(FAOSTAT)
0
5000000
10000000
15000000
20000000
25000000
30000000
35000000
40000000
45000000
Poultry Goat Bovin Sheep Pig Donkey Camels Horse
Number of heads (FAOSTAT), 2011

Trends in consumption of Animal Source Food
(ASF) in Burkina Faso
• The average consumption of meat is 12
kg/person/year with 45–50% from beef (FAO,
2018)
• Per capita consumption of poultry meat is
approximately 8kg per year (CAPES, 2007)
• Poultry meat (all systems included) contributes
16.47% of the meat consumed in Burkina Faso
(CAPES, 2007)

Detailed chicken value chain map
Collection markets (province)
Small village markets
Restaurants/hotels
Households
Place the grid on
fire (15 min)
Washing: 1-2 times
Dry cooking: 15-20 min
Adding oil then frying
(15min)
Seasoning (10-15 min)Steamwithalittle
water(10min)
Addwaterandleave
bake(10-20mn)
Slaughtering
Fried chicken
Live chicken
Washing
Cooking
10%
75% 70%
30%
30%
2% (gifs, buying during festive seasons, etc.)
98%
90%
Local village
chicken producers
Dish out
Raw vegetables:
onion, tomatoes,
cucumber
Ready to eat
70%
30%Dish out
Raw vegetables: onion,
tomatoes, cucumber
Ready to eat
70%
30%
8%
Peri-urban
improved chicken
In country production: 99%
Super-
markets, shop
70%
10%20%
Terminal markets/retailers
(Ouagadougou)
Slaughtering
Scalding
90%
Processors
Plucking
Evisceration
15%
10%
Washing
Little seasoning
(garlic, Persil,
mustard, etc.)
20%
80%
Little seasoning (salt,
vinegar, oil) and
return at any time
After 30 to 45
minutes, place in
the glass to sell
Place on the rotating
grill machine
Grilled/braised chicken
Legend:
Improved or broiler chain
Local chicken chain
Peri urban
broiler/exotic
2%
Importations: 1%
(chicken carcasses)

Simplified chicken value chain map

Animal source food (ASF) consumption
• Top five most widely eaten ASF by all household categories
Women and men group
ASF Taste Price Convenience of
cooking
Health/
nutritional
Food safety
Chicken Very
good
Expensive Easy +++ Safer
Fish Good Cheaper Very easy +++ Safer
Beef Good Expensive Difficult ++ Slightly safe
Sheep/goat
meat
Good Expensive Easy ++ Slightly safe
Pork Good Expensive Difficult + Less safe
+++: High; ++: Medium; +: Low
The most accessible ASF by all is fish (fresh for HIHs and MHIs; dry for LIHs)
LIHs consume more fish than MIHs and HIHs (more beef and muton)
Less accessible is pork (expensive)

Chicken consumption practices by household
category
• High- and medium-income households
• Home consumption of chicken is mostly weekly for
women and children; and quarterly for men
• Off-home consumption of chicken is almost daily for men
and occasionally for women and children
• Low-income households
• Consumption of chicken is occasional and is mainly
offered during religious festivals and ceremonies
• Off-home consumption for chicken is occasional but more
frequent for men during lunch at workplace (but not the
full chicken)

Chicken consumption practices (home
processing)
• 30% of chicken meals eaten at home are
cooked with vegetables (especially tomatoes
and onions)
• Common dished
• “tô” (highly consumed in LHIs)
• Chicken soup
• Rice with tomato and chicken sauce
• Rice or spaghetti with Bolognese sauce,
• Braised fish
• Fatty rice with smoked fish
“tô”, most common dish in
Burkina Faso
Mais flower + water
Soup: okra, oignon, oil, chili, slat,
soumbala

Chicken consumption practices (within the
household)
The hierarchical and symbolic distribution of the parts of
the chicken in MIHs and LIHs
Gizzard for household
head

Chicken consumption practices (Street-
restaurant)
• 90% of chicken is
consumed outside the
household mostly in
street restaurants called
“maquis”
• 30% of eaten chicken in
street-restaurants is
with raw vegetables
(onions or tomatoes)

Chicken consumption practices (Street restaurant)
Grilled or braised chicken
Good taste
Plucked in hot water
Perceived as less
nutritious
Perceived as relatively
safe (less risky)

Chicken consumption practices (Street restaurant)
Flamed chicken
 Traditionally local breeds only
 Plucked dry
 Perceived as very nutritious
 Perceived as less safe (higher
risk)

Chicken consumption practices (Street restaurant)
“Poulet télévisé” –
roasted chicken 20%
More of mixed or
exotic breeds
Uses gas for cooking
and electric power for
displaying
Perceived as safer (less
handling)

Chicken consumption practices (Street restaurant)
Fried chicken
Perceived as less
nutritious (oil associated
with disease)
Perceived as safer (high
temperature during
cooking)

Chicken consumption practices (Street-
restaurant cooking processes)
Grilled chicken served with vegetables
(onions and tomatoes) Grilled chicken served without raw
vegetables (but prepared with garlic)

Availability of chicken (proportion of consumption all
year round)
0
5
10
15
20
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Easter Baptism End of ramadan
Tabaski
Catholic Pilgrimage
End of year

Processing practices (slaughter slab)

Access of chicken (cooked)
Location of purchase of chickens and distance
from their household by men consumers (HIH
and MIH)
Location of purchase of chickens and distance
from their household by women consumers
(HIH and MIH)
Traditional farms (25-265km) in
province
Holidays periods
Disease-free
Does not lose weight
Slaughtering and gutting on site in
Ouaga
Neighborhood market
Disease-free
Does not lose weight
Slaughtering and gutting on site in
Ouaga
Neighborhood delicatessen
Cleanliness
Neighborhood shop
5
1
10

Live chicken supply
Animal welfare
issues during
transportation

Storage of live chicken at the market
• Up to 7 days in the market
• Non-sold chicken slaughtered and meet stored on
communal fridge

Farm production
Peri-urban production (10%) – improved breeds Village production (90%) – local breeds

Perception of consumers about quality and
safety of chicken
• Local chicken and fish perceived as safest (little or no
vet inputs); pork is less safe (fat)
• At purchase good quality chicken is assessed by: weight
(good shape, heavy), the apparently healthy (alerted,
lively), the price (affordable) and age (younger chicken
preferred)
• Cooking chicken at high temperature is important but
such food is perceived as less nutritious
• Consumption of dead animals of unknown cause is
associated with poverty

Perception of consumers about quality and
safety of chicken
• For chicken processed outside the home (e.g.
grilled chicken), cleanliness of the carcass,
seasoning and serving are levels of high
contamination of food because of poor hygiene
• Women likely to detect unsafe food at home
• Exposure to unsafe food is perceived as higher in men
and young women - street food consumption

Perception of other VC actors about quality
and safety of chicken
• Retailers/processors
• Cleanliness of chicken cages chickens at the
market
• Transportation practices from the farm to the
terminal market (animal welfare)
• Proper cooking of chicken is important
• Age of the chicken (young chicken preferred)
• Producers
• Use of inputs (withdrawal periods for drugs)

Gender issues in the poultry value chain
Value chain Men Woman Children
Production
Farm construction +++ + -
Farm maintenance ++ +++ -
Input suppliers +++ - -
Purchase of inputs +++ + -
Marketing
Collectors / wholesalers +++ - -
Carriers/transporters +++ - -
Processing
Slaughtering / plucking ++ - +
Street cooking (grilling, frying) +++ + -
Household preparation - +++ -

Summary: risky practices identified in the chicken value
chain
• The lack of quality control, especially on products sold
• Administration of inappropriate drugs for immediate sale of
birds (e.g. Tramadoles – an opoid); use of chemicals during
plucking (carbure – acetylene based)
• Lack of space for storing and selling live chickens
• Unsanitary conditions at slaughter slabs (slaughtering, plucking
and evisceration) – no separation between clean and dirty
areas; no space for waste management (e.g. droppings)
• Poor handling carcasses before cooking (dirty water for
washing)
• Cross contamination between raw vegetables and chicken

The vegetable value chain

Trends in production of vegetables in
Burkina Faso in 2011 (FAOSTAT)
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
Bulb
onions
Leaves
onions
Cabbage Tomatoes Local
eggplant
Import
eggplant
Pepper Lettuce Carrot
Per capita consumption of vegetables was 17.1 kg in 2013

Vegetable value chain map (tomatoes and
onions)
Wholesalers/
importers
Households
Street
restaurants
Producers outside
Burkina Faso
Producers of
Burkina Faso
Retailers
Collectors at
farm
Market
wholesalers
Ready to eat
Raw: 15%
Cooked: 85%
90%
10%
10%
90%
4% 6%
90%
2%
95%
3%
60% 30% Formal
restaurants
10%
40%
60%

Vegetable consumption practices
• There is little variation in
the types of vegetables
consumed across
households
• Consumption of onions
leaves and okra were
only reported in MIHs
and LIHI, respectively
HIH
Vegetable Taste Price Nutritional
health
Food safety
Tomatoes Very good Cheaper +++ Greater risk
Onion Good Cheaper +++ Lower risk
Carrot Good Cheaper +++ Higher risk
Lettuce Good Cheaper + Greater risk
Cucumber Good Cheaper + ++ Lower risk
MIH
Tomatoes Good Cheaper + Greater risk
Onion Good Expensive + Lower risk
Lettuce Good Expensive +++ Greater risk
Cucumber Good Expensive +++ Lower risk
Local eggplant Good Expensive + Less risk
LIH
Tomatoes Good Cheaper + Some risk
Onion Good Expensive + Some risk
Lettuce Good Expensive +++ Greater risk
Cucumber Good Expensive +++ Some risk
Local eggplant Less good Expensive + Less risk
+++: high; +: low
Top five most consumed vegetables

Vegetable consumption practices (onions
and tomatoes)
• Home consumption more important (60% )
• 30% of vegetables are consumed raw
HIH MIH LIH
Onions Daily Daily in abundance
period
Daily in abundance
period
Tomatoes Daily Daily Daily
Raw
consumption
+++ ++ +
Cooked Sauce, soup, grilled
chicken, rice, lettuce
Soup, sauce, rice, grilled
chicken, lettuce
Sauce, rice, lettuce

Vegetable consumption practices (onions
and tomatoes)
Typical raw
preparation of
vegetable for
street restaurant
(consumed with
grilled or braised
chicken)

Availability of vegetables (tomatoes and onions)
Tabaski End of year
Cold season
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Baptism Ramadan

Supply of vegetables to the household
HIH and MIH (women)
50
25
75
1
Neighborhood market
Proximity
Tanghin Dassouri 25km
• Cheaper production area
Kokologho 45km
• Quality vegetables
HIH and MIH (men)
Neighborhood market
Proximity
Kokologho 45km
• Quality vegetables
50
25
75
1
Tanghin Dassouri 25km
• Cheaper production area
LIHs (women)
In LIHs men could not
describe the source of
vegetables

Marketing practices of vegetables
Transport of tomatoes from garden to wholesale market in Ouagadougou

Marketing practices of vegetables
Transportation of cabbages from garden to wholesale market in Ouagadougou

Marketing practices of vegetables
Retail vegetable markets in Ouagadougou

Vegetable production systems
• Two main locations: village and peri-
urban
• Depend on season and site
• Practice adapted to market demand
• High use of pesticide specially for
tomatoes
• Very small scale of animal farming
• Some latrines built about 50 metres
from gardens
• High use of fertilizers (organic and
chemical)

Perception of consumers about quality and
safety of vegetables
• Onions must be heavy and dry, whereas tomatoes must be hard,
firm and without bruises, and they must not perish rapidly (e.g.
next day);
• Vegetables must look clean, as must the surroundings where
they are stored (this is a requirement of some customers,
especially those from HIHs);
• Lack of water received by the plants may cause poor quality
vegetables;
• The misuse of inputs (pesticides) is a major concern;
• Vegetables of poor quality (soft, perforated) are sold to ready-
to-eat food processors who as supposed to cook them the same
day. But if the level of spoilage is very advanced, the vegetables
are systematically discarded.

Perception of consumers about quality and
safety of vegetables
• Overcooking can destroy some nutrients of some
vegetables such as tomatoes and carrots
• Men believe that the tomato and onions are more
nutritious
• Women consider lettuce and cucumbers (green
vegetables) to be more nutritious
"All vegetables pose a risk because the chemicals are used and cause the
vegetables to rot after a few days. However, it is the lettuce that is at high risk
because of dirty water and parasites. " (from a male consumer)

Gender issues in the vegetable value chain
Value chain Man Woman Children
Production
Farm construction +++ ++ -
Farm maintenance +++ ++ -
Input suppliers +++ - -
Purchase of inputs +++ ++ -
Production financing +++ + -
Carriers/transporters +++ + -
Marketing
Market wholesalers + +++ -
Market retailers + +++ -

Summary - risky practices identified in the chicken value
chain
• The use of wastewater (e.g. around hospitals);
• The misuse of chemicals (pesticides residues, and
fertilizers);
• The mis-perception of quality by consumers referred as
prettiness of vegetables and pesticide smell

Recommendations for improving food safety
• Educate consumers about the dangers linked to their mis-perception of
quality;
• Sensitize consumers on how to identify un-healthy products;
• Train processors on best practices (slaughtering, evisceration, storage);
• Promote appropriate packaging for raw chicken;
• Demonstrate cheap practical slaughtering slabs
• At the street restaurant – sensitize on cross contamination
• Better understand cooking practices and promote indigenous good practices
• Sensitize and train producers on good farming practices (reduce of chemical,
quality seeds and unclean water)
• Raise awareness of producers about withdrawal period of drugs

This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United
Kingdom government and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for
Nutrition and Health.
It is implemented in partnership with Institut de Recherche en Sciences
Appliquées et Technologies (IRSAT), Centre d’Analyse des Politiques
Economiques et Sociales (CAPES), Institut de l’Environnement et de
Recherches Agricoles du Burkina Faso (INERA), Wageningen University, World
Vegetable Center and the University of Florida
Project team
Local collaborators (University of Ouagadougou)
Acknowledgements

This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
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ILRI thanks all donors and organizations who globally supported its work through their contributions
to the CGIAR system