AU develops guidelines to strengthen food security in informal markets

NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) — The African Union (AU), in partnership with the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), said on Wednesday that the development of new guidelines aimed at strengthening food security in the continent’s informal markets had gained momentum.

In a joint statement issued in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the two organizations observed that almost 70 percent of urban households in Africa purchase food from informal markets, including street vendors and kiosks, justifying the application of quality controls to protect consumers against food poisoning.

“Food and nutritional security is a human right and yet unsafe foods undermine this right for millions of Africans every year,” said John Oppong-Otoo, head of food security at the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources. African Union, based in Nairobi. IBAR). “We believe that these new guidelines will provide realistic and practical guidance to help governments work with the informal sector and gradually transform it to support the population in a safe and sustainable way.”

According to the AU, food safety in Africa’s informal markets has historically been neglected or poorly managed, with some 90 million people on the continent affected by food-borne illnesses each year, leading to an estimated loss of productivity of 16 billion US dollars.

Furthermore, the AU said the international community invests only $55 million per year in food security projects on the continent, hence the urgency to mobilize national resources to combat food poisoning.

The new guidelines are expected to inject vitality into national efforts to improve food security in Africa by engaging policymakers, traders and consumers as part of the continent’s agenda to end hunger, poverty and diseases, noted the AU.

Developed under the AU Continental Food Security Strategy for Africa 2022-2036, the new guidelines were first published in 2021 and aim to improve hygiene in the handling of edible products, declared the pan-African bloc.

He adds that while compliance with food safety standards has improved in Africa’s exported food crops, progress has been slow in fragmented and underfunded domestic informal markets.

Silvia Alonso Alvarez, senior scientist and epidemiologist at ILRI, said African countries should develop and implement food safety guidelines tailored to the continent’s socio-economic and cultural environment.

“The reality is that most African consumers purchase food from the informal sector, which requires different approaches to food safety management,” Alonso said. “With the right support, governments can make the informal food sector a conduit for healthy and safe food for all, and a source of decent and dignified employment for men and women, especially youth, in Africa.”

The AU and ILRI will consult with informal sector actors to refine the food security guidelines in June, while consultations with Member States will continue throughout 2024 and 2025, paving the way for the presentation of the framework to the political organs of the AU for approval in 2025.

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