Guidelines to help African governments improve food security in the informal sector need to be developed.
The African Union (AU) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are designing a framework for a continent-wide approach to engaging with the informal food sector.
The guidance seeks to reflect the realities of African food systems and improve how governments work with the informal sector in their efforts to strengthen food security.
The African Union and ILRI will consult with the informal sector to help refine the guidelines starting June 10. This process with Member States will continue in 2024 and 2025 before the framework is presented to the political organs of the African Union for approval in 2025.
Pay attention to the question
Earlier this year, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene sent draft guidelines for food hygiene control measures in traditional food markets to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption and the World Food Organization. Health (WHO) has produced several documents on safer traditional food markets.
According to ILRI, Codex Alimentarius focal points from African countries will be invited to participate in consultations over the next year, to help ensure alignment.
Previous analyzes have found that some 90 million Africans contract foodborne illnesses each year, costing about $16 billion in lost productivity. The international community invests only $55 million per year in food security projects on the continent, according to a 2019 Global Partnership for Food Security report.
Although compliance with food safety standards has improved for products exported from Africa, progress has been limited in the domestic informal sector, which is generally fragmented and under-resourced.
A roadmap to inspire
The guidelines currently revolve around three main principles of engagement: recognition, commitment and investment in the informal sector.
“Western approaches to improving food safety, which involve compliance with strict requirements and involve complex documentation processes, are really only suitable for the formal sector, which is regularized and has sufficient financial resources. The reality is that most African consumers buy food from the informal sector, which requires different approaches to food safety management,” said Silvia Alonso, Senior Scientific Epidemiologist at ILRI.
“We recognize that the ultimate solutions will need to be adapted to the national or local reality. The guidelines offer a roadmap to inspire countries and suggest areas of effort needed to achieve successful engagement with the informal sector towards improved food security. They will also include, when available, examples of initiatives that have been implemented and demonstrated success in achieving these goals.
The draft guidelines were developed following the African Union Food Security Strategy for Africa, released in 2021 to encourage improved food security management. They build on ILRI’s research and work to improve food security across Africa.
John Oppong-Otoo, Head of Food Safety at the African Union International Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), said: “We believe these new guidelines will provide realistic and practical guidance to help governments work with the informal sector and gradually transform it into a secure sector. and sustainably support the population.
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