Urban food markets can reduce food safety risks
Authors: Giel Ton1, Mauricio Espinoza2
1. Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
2. Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE)
Introduction
It is suspected that in Peru, Salmonella spp. could be present throughout the meat production and distribution chain. Salmonella spp is a microorganism that lives in the intestines of animals. The problem arises when people accidentally ingest this pathogen with food. Salmonella poses a health hazard. Salmonella control represents a challenge because contamination can occur at different stages of the production and supply chain, from the farm to the consumer’s plate. At each stage, the number of microorganisms can increase, especially due to temperature and humidity. Salmonella can contaminate other meats and food products when there is contact with surfaces, utensils, or water contaminated with the bacteria. Therefore, the control of Salmonella requires coordinated action throughout the production and supply chain. Technical solutions to food safety risk management exist but practical policy solutions to convince the supply chain actors to apply these are scarce. The scale of application of local food safety policies that effectively incentivize these actors is large, and more evidence on pilot experiences is needed.
Background
One of the entry points to reduce the risks of meat contamination is surveillance during transport and slaughter. In Peru, SENASA, together with the support of the central government, is responsible for monitoring standards. Unfortunately, many of the country’s abattoirs are in a suboptimal state and do not have the required infrastructure to prevent the meat from being contaminated with pathogens during or after slaughter. The adoption of modern food tracking and hygiene monitoring technologies available in supermarkets in Europe or the US are still absent in urban food markets in Latin America. Even the cooling chain is often incomplete. Most of the meat is transported from the abattoir to the point of sale in multi-use vehicles without refrigeration. Another entry point is to improve hygiene in food markets and warehouses. In Peru, local governments and DIGESA (MINSA) are the public institutions responsible for ensuring compliance with basic health standards in markets. Supported by resources from the national market improvement plan, part of the result-based funding modality to local governments, training activities are held and a strategies are implemented to ensure healthy markets and stalls. There is a list of measures that markets must comply with for municipalities to obtain the transfer of the MEF incentive. Nevertheless, research carried out by Ho-Palma et al. (2024) in supply markets of three cities showed that there was a high presence of Salmonella in raw chicken meat. The presence of Salmonella in pork was lower, but it was still concerning.
Vendors need to change practices
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the market improvement and incentive plan was adapted to include measures for the prevention and containment of COVID-19. Most of the markets and stalls were able to comply with hygiene and social distancing rules. Above all, the markets managed directly by the municipality complied with the regulations for adapting the food environment and the use of masks. Without financing to pay for these adaptations, in addition to the more complex collective decision-making system, the associative markets had lower compliance than the municipal markets. However, in many places, such as Peru during COVID, these vendor associations managed to organize themselves, and their members contributed to pay for the adaptations. After the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these protection and hygiene measures were discontinued, such as the use of masks and intensive disinfection of utensils and surfaces. However, the experience of the pandemic has shown that changes in vendor practices are possible. And some of these measures could remain. For example, in several markets, the water and drainage system was improved. Water is important in cleaning stall surfaces where meat is cut or displayed. However, contrary to what many think, the installation of water can also increase the risk when the cleaning is not carried out correctly. In the GICCAP investigation, an association was identified between the incidence of Campylobacter spp. and the stall’s access to running water. The data suggest that stalls where cleaning was done using two buckets—one bucket for clean water and another bucket for dirty water—had less Campylobacter contamination than stalls where cleaning was done using tap water. For this reason, it is important that vendor training prioritizes good meat handling and cleaning practices.
Consumers are willing to pay
The incentive program for municipal management, promoted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, seeks to certify “healthy stalls” in supply markets. Obviously, to improve their position and obtain certification, sellers must incur expenses. With this in mind, the GICCAP project carried out a study to investigate the willingness to pay for meat certified as safe for consumption in market stalls in three cities in the country. The study found that consumers were willing to pay an amount between 5% and 7% more per kilo of meat in certified market stalls. This suggests that the certification of healthy stalls could be a mechanism to finance part of the investments for the improvement of jobs. However, the study also identified that the government and, in particular, the market authorities must play an active role in improving the governance and health conditions of the supply markets. Grace (2015) states that training informal value chain actors who receive business benefits from being trained has been more successful. She also states that new technologies, growing public concern, and increased emphasis on food system governance can also improve food safety. However, without effective control, consumers quickly lose confidence in certifications.
Policy recommendations
- Guaranteeing the safety of food in general, and of meat in particular, requires a coordinated action plan that goes beyond the closure of stalls or markets; it must address the entire food supply chain, from production, slaughter, transportation, marketing, and consumption of the product.
- Urban markets do not create the Salmonella contamination but amplify the risk.
- Public engagement with food safety is low and can be improved when evidence on incidence of Salmonella in the supply chain is made public. However, this has the risk of blaming places where the research is done while other markets may pose similar or more risks.
- The certification of healthy stalls, where merchants can charge a premium price, could be a way to finance part of the investments that vendors must make to continuously improve their stalls and keep their equipment and infrastructure in good condition.
- Surveillance and control of markets by municipal authorities are essential to improve the internal governance of markets with respect to food safety. For this, it is critical to strengthen the Sanitary Self-Control Committees.
- Associative trader-managed food markets present greater challenges to improve market infrastructure and stalls to ensure greater food safety. Their collective and complex decision-making systems and the absence of financing sources meant that these markets had less compliance with the measures to prevent and contain COVID-19 than municipal markets. The authorities should provide complementary support for these types of markets.
References
Grace, D. (2015). Food safety in low and middle-income countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(9), 10490–10507.
Ho-Palma, A. C., E. Gonzales-Gustavson, E. Quispe, M. Crotta, E. Nunney, G. Limon, D. Andrade-Mogrovejo, J. Pastor, E. Yabar & J. Solis (2024). Salmonella in chicken and pork meat as a likely major contributor to foodborne illness in Peru. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 11(1), 141-150
MEF-Peru. (2018). Meta 20: Certificacion de Puestos de Venta Saludables de Alimentos Agropecuarios Primarios y Piensos, en Mercados de Abastos. Lima, Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas.
Ton, G., Espinoza, M. & Fort, R. (2023). COVID policy and urban food markets in Peru: governance and compliance. Journal of Development Studies, 59(6), 854-872.
To link to this article - DOI: https://doi.org/10.70253/CGYK8353
Co-publication declaration
This blog is derived from a discussion document presented at the national conference ‘Food Safety in Urban Food Markets: approaches from the biological and social sciences’ in Lima on 19 April 2023: Ton, G., Espinoza, M. and Gonzales, E. (2023) 'Inocuidad de la carne en los mercados de abasto: entradas para mejorar la gobernanza y vigilancia', Análisis & Propuestas 68
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