AU and ILRI collaborate to make informal food markets in Africa safer

According to recent studies, an estimated 70 percent of urban African households purchase food from informal sources, such as street vendors, kiosks and vendors at traditional markets.

Today, the African Union and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are joining forces to design the first-ever guidelines to help African governments improve food security in informal food markets.

Starting Friday, these new guidelines will aim to help African governments engage and improve regulatory oversight of informal food markets, which are vital sources of affordable food and income for millions of people in Africa.

Silvia Alonso, an epidemiologist at the institute, said improving food security in informal markets would help improve the health of populations and countries’ economies.

“A lot of these informal markets have been pretty neglected,” Alonso said. “So we felt this was an area we needed to start paying attention to.” If we address food security in informal markets, we will not only help improve food security across the continent, but also, indirectly, help improve food security. other outcomes and objectives, such as nutritional security, access to employment, decent work and equitable food systems.

The World Bank reported that unhealthy practices in informal markets cost African governments around $16 billion in lost productivity per year.

Contaminated food is responsible for at least 91 million illnesses and 137,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.

ILRI has launched training for food handlers and producers in informal markets in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

Cecilia Chepkemoi, a milk seller in Eldoret, Rift Valley region, is one of hundreds trained in her area. Chepkemoi said she had very little knowledge on how to keep milk safe for consumption.

“I only knew about boiling milk, not milk hygiene,” Chepkemoi said. “So after completing the training with ILRI, I now wash the cans with warm water and put the can outside to dry in the sun. After that, I pour the milk inside. ”

Alonso said working with governments, food handlers and producers is essential to keeping consumers healthy.

“We hope that these guidelines will allow governments to support the informal sector within the expected parameters and requirements,” Alonso said. “… This can range from ensuring that it is not contaminated by biological substances, by bacteria, by viruses, but also by the fact that it is healthy in the sense that it does not contain chemical products.”

African governments destroyed and confiscated food from markets to deal with outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Experts say such forced shutdowns are counterproductive.

The three-month ILRI training helped Chepkemoi increase its sales and establish good relationships with its customers.

“This gave me confidence and increased my sales because the rate at which customers bought milk from me became high,” Chepkemoi said. “And they trusted me because you see that I even get orders from Nairobi. Even if I tell them I don’t have milk at the moment, wait until tomorrow. They won’t go to someone else. They will wait.”

The consultation process on food security in informal settings with Member States will continue throughout 2024 and 2025. The document will be presented to the decision-making bodies of the African Union for approval next year.

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