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Informally marketed meat in South Africa
A Qualitative risk assessment
Heeb A., McCrindle C.M.E., Valle Zárate A., Ramrajh S., Siegmund‐Schultze M., Kohei M., Grace D.
Contact Details: Alexander Heeb, Semmelweg 95, 32257 Bünde, Germany. PH: 0049‐5223‐7920613, E‐Mail: redheeb@web.de
RESULTS Prerequisites of informal
INTRODUCTION
Profile of informal meat traders meat traders: (n=51):
South Africa is characterized by strong
(n=51): • mostly no access to
disparities between the rich and the
electricity (n=49), running
poor (AERNI, 2002).
water (n=46) and simple
Street food is a source of inexpensive,
cooling devices (e.g. cool
convenient, and nutritious food and is
boxes, n = 37).
especially important for the poor who
• most traders need to bring
lack resources to prepare meals at
water from home (n=42).
home. Domestically, South African game
• mostly no cooling during
meat products can be assumed to have a
• most respondents were female transport (n=38)
promising potential as a valuable source
(n=46) and street food vending was • Slight majority used to
of animal protein for the rural and urban
primary activity (n=47). cover prepared products for
poor.
• Grilling on fire was most often display (n=27)
The sale of food items on the street is
practised (n=33). Microbiological Quality of
commonly practiced in many countries
• Most traders offered either beef or meat samples:
of the developing world that are
chicken or both (n=48). • The majority of raw meat
characterized by limited formal
• Raw stock mostly derived formally samples was unsatisfactory.
employment opportunities and rapid
(n=48). • Informally traded prepared
urbanization.
Identified risks and hazards meat can be assumed to be
In the developing world, street food
safe for consumption (only 1
vending is an important source of
case of coliform detection).
employment (DAWSON and CANET,
1991). Description of hazard Level of risk SUMMARY
More importantly, it is an important Informal marketing of meet
Insufficient knowledge of provides both income to
source of income for lowly educated
recognized meat hygiene
people in these countries (UMOH and practices results in likely
traders and nutritious foods
ODOBA, 1999) and for women in unacceptable to urban consumers.
particular (UMOH and ODOBA, 1999, microbiological quality Although infrastructure is
DAWSON and CANET, 1991). very poor, the quality of
In South Africa, the sale of ready‐to‐eat cooked products was
foods at locations such as public Limited availability of reasonably good.
transport centres and “taxi ranks” (taxi basic prerequisites for Participants identified key
food safety maintenance highly likely constraints which would
stations) is widely common (MOSUPYE
results in unacceptable
and VON HOLY, 2000). microbiological quality
enable them to improve their
operations and these are also
MATERIALS AND METHODS likely to improve meat
• Participatory risk assessment. Lack of hygiene facilitates safety.
• Survey with n = 51 informal meat accumulation of food‐ likely REFERENCES
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• Microbiological analysis of meat cause contamination of South Africa. DAWSON RJ and CANET C, 1991.
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(Survey), Pretoria (Game meat cooking Prerequisites are the major and ODOBA MB, 1999. Safety and quality
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