Assessing and understanding food safety risk practices in Nairobi pork food system: A value chain approach

In Nairobi the pork food system may represent a major source of zoonotic pathogens. Yet, the system and its public health risks have not been described. The study address this gap by identifying and understanding food safety risks practices in the Nairobi pork food system using a value chain approach. A cross-sectional study of the Nairobi pork system collected data through focus group discussions and individual interviews with farmers, traders, abattoir owners, large companies’ managers, retailers, government officers and consumers. Data were analysed to identify, describe and quantify the main pork chains, their food safety risk practices and explore their link with chain governance, distribution of benefits and barriers to improving the system. Main food safety risk practices for ‘city pig keepers’ were: handling and consumption of sick pigs; and swill and scavenging feeding. Pigs in slums were channelled directly to consumers and butchers or through less integrated markets. In ‘less integrated abattoirs’, risk practices were: lack of traceability, cold chain and adequate cleaning and sterilising practices and equipment. These, with chains of pork from on-farm slaughtering, governed the lower end market. One ‘large integrated company’ accounted for 83.6% of pork marketed through abattoirs and governed the high-end market where barriers to improvements were less. Among retailers, there was a lack of hygiene due to poor infrastructure, scarcity of water and deficient cleaning practices. Poor profit margins and unequal benefit distribution in the lower-end market hinder investments in infrastructure, cold chains and human capacity building and make it difficult to meet feeding and animal health costs. This study identified the main food safety risk practices and the people involved in risk-taking activities in the Nairobi pork system. The understanding obtained on chain governance, barriers and system inequalities associated to these risks provide a foundation to design effective control strategies.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Murungi, M.K., Muinde, P., Akoko, James M., Rushton, Jonathan, Fèvre, Eric M., Domínguez Salas, Paula, Muloi, Dishon M., Häsler, Barbara, Alarcón, Pablo
Format:	Conference Paper biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	2015-09-10
Subjects:	food safety, zoonoses,
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/68298
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