Food Safety and Quality Management - Discussions

Moderators Summary - Food Safety on 11th April 2003, By Bob Myhara

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Moderators Summary - Food Safety on 11th April 2003, By Bob Myhara

Dear All:
A lively discussion in the related areas of urban areas and street-vended foods is taking place.

Street-vended foods.
Shalini Vytelingum commented that street-vended foods were not a serious source of pathogens such as Salmonella or Shigella in Mauritius. This was also the case with Dave Harcourt in Durban. Dave Harcourt also mentioned that there was a high level of hygiene and I suspect also an environment well serviced with infrastructure (clean water, toilets, etc).
Contrasting this was comments by Charles Tortoe (hello Charles!) that the street-vended foods situation in Accra, Ghana was not good. "There was more concern about making a profit and less emphasis upon safety of the consumer." My research in Accra supports Charles Tortoe's observations that street-vended foods are a problem there. I must also mention that the local authorities, the Food and Drug Board of Ghana, The Food Research
Institute of Ghana and the NRI are working on a solution to this problem.

Dr Otieno's commented that training and awareness of food safety issues is paramount.

Food safety in urban areas.
Jackson Ombui, Shalini and Prof. Oyewole all commented on food safety problems in urban areas. As I mentioned, I just attended a conference here in Ottawa on "Malnutrition in Africa". One of their comments referred to the problems in transporting food from the rural areas to the urban areas, given poor transportation, and poor infrastructure. Many times the food must make many stops, from one market to another and must make many detours to avoid traffic congestion, etc. As a result much of the products are spoiled, or of poor quality and may not be safe. This is a problem related in part to transportation.

• We might want to send a message to international funding agencies that improvements to transportation systems in SSA should be a priority?

Infrastructure
According to Sop Kana Marie Modestine, access to clean water and appropriate latrines are important in the street-vended foods debate. In fact all of those infrastructural services that are needed.

• We might want to send a message to international funding agencies that improvements to infrastructure in SSA should be and continue to be a priority?

Jackson ombui said that "The low rate of foodborne outbreaks recorded in Kenya are due to lack of reporting, lack of an effective surveillance program and inadequate diagnostic facilities." "The World Health Organization estimate that foodborne disease cases are 350 times more than is reported world wide."

• He asks how can reporting be improved?

Drs. Oyewole and Vytelingum echo this sentiment stating that under reporting and or poor statistical figures are common. I know from my U.S.A. colleagues that they also found poor reporting and statistics keeping in their country. They are undertaking an extensive programme to improve the situation.

• Perhaps Prof Oyewole's comment that the World Bank should make this one of their priority areas is appropriate?

I would like to summarize on comments by Drs. Kapinga, Kolawole Adebayo and Linley Chiwona-Karltun regarding the underlying origin of food borne illness, which are food security and poverty.

As Dr. Kapinga said "In Africa food poisoning could be well addressed by solving the issues on food security and poverty. Dr. Linley Chiwona-Karltun said that "A food insecure farming household that encounters a crisis, be it economic, social or conflict usually has very little room for manoeuvring."
• Are food insecurity and poverty the root causes of chronic food safty problems?

Dr. Adebayo commented that "International law to guide the food system does not seem to ba a pragmatic approach to the issue of food security and access." We all need laws to point us in the proper direction, and this approach, I think, should not be abandoned. Local enactment of laws, however, may not be enforceable, when the underlying problems are socio-economic and not technical in nature.

In regards to Florence Uruakpa's contribution on Weaning foods, to encourage more participation. I just attended a conference here in Ottawa, "Malnutrition in Africa". One of the comments there was that scientific and technological achievements sometimes do not make it to the smallholders, rural producers and small food processors. This is a problem everywhere, not just in SSA. Good scientists do not always make good technology transfer facilitators. You mention: 1 educate the rural participants 2 enhance technology transfer 3 encourage interaction between Food Scientists and the rural populace. Add that together with small workshops, where practical subjects are taught to the people who really need the training and you have the beginning of a good system.

Bob Myhara