Key Messages from Safe food, Fair food (BMZ/ILRI)
Food safety in informally marketed livestock products in sub Saharan Africa
Makita K1,2, Kangethe E 3, Zewde G4, Kurwijila L 5, Matusse H6, McCrindle C7, Tano-Debrah K8, Bonfoh B9, Costard S 1,10, Grace D 1
1International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya, 2Rakuno Gakuen University, Japan, 3University of Nairobi, Kenya, 4Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 5Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania,
6Directorate of Animal Science, Mozambique, 7University of Pretoria, South Africa, 8University of Ghana, Ghana, 9Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, 10Royal Veterinary College, UK
OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to establish the capacity conducting participatory risk analysis to improve food safety and participation of smallholder
farmers in informal markets for livestock products in sub Saharan Africa.
METHODS: Mali Ethiopia
Figure 1 shows key activities (2008-2011) • Brucella in milk • Staphylococcus aureus in
• Perception in food safety milk
Food safety country situational analysis Kenya
Côte d’Ivoire
• Understanding regulating frameworks of • E. coli on cattle carcasses in
• Several pathogens in milk
food safety • Inhibition of pathogens by abattoirs
• Prioritization of food safety problems Bifidobacterium in milk • E. coli in beef value chain
• Polycyclic aromatic • Brucella in milk
hydrocarbons in fish • Microbiological quality of milk
Participatory risk assessment
• Done by mainly postgraduate students Ghana Tanzania
• 21 risk assessment studies • Listeria monocytogenes in • S. aureus in milk
milk • Camplylobacter in roast beef
National stakeholder workshops South Africa Mozambique
• Workshops with Gvt. stakeholders, • S. aureus in dried beef • Prerequisites for HACCP in
academic institutions and private sectors product small scale poultry production
• Dissemination of situational analysis and • Food safety in tribal rituals
risk assessment results • Impala game meat
Figure 2. Countries participating and participatory risk analysis studies
Figure 1. Key activities of Safe food, Fair food
KEY MESSAGES: Facts:
Structure of informal value
chains were identified
1. Realized importance within a few days Facts:
of informal food chains Perception of risk in milk
in African economy was dependent on personal
trust, not necessarily on
hygienic practices
2. Risks were less
Facts: serious than previously
Dominance of informal perceived
markets in Africa- 80-90%
of foods are sold through
informal value chains 3. Participatory methods
Facts: Traditional milk were found useful in risk
fermentation reduces assessment in resource
risk of staphylococcal
poor countries
poisoning by 93.5%
Risk reduction 4. Necessity for trans-
disciplinary research and
action along value chain
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This project was funded by BMZ/ILRI. We thank Germany-South African Funding with
Hohenheim University (GTZ), NRF South Africa, University of Pretoria, PSDA/BMZ, ASARECA, Italian Embassy, Japan Ministry
of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire for co-
funding. We were technically supported by Free University Berlin and Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Germany.