Food Safety in Traditional Markets in Africa and Asia

Food Safety in Traditional Markets in Africa and Asia


Food safety is essential to food and nutrition security. In low- and middle-income countries many consumers buy nutrient-dense foods such as animal-sourced foods and fresh fruits and vegetables in traditional or "informal" markets. These markets play a vital role in food availability and affordability, but they have limited infrastructure to control the safety of food, and usually no oversight from public health authorities. Vendors and consumers alike often lack knowledge and tools to ensure food safety, in the market and at home, and face challenges in demanding that other supply chain actors do their part in providing safe food.

At the same time, consumers and markets actors -individually and in associations- can play a key role in improving food safety, for instance by leveraging consumers’ purchasing power to incentivize vendors, or by influencing other supply chain actors and policy makers. Many behavioural, social, economic, and technical factors can impact whether market food safety can improve; hence understanding market dynamics is key to successful interventions. 

This webinar will explore stakeholder dynamics in traditional food markets, with a focus on food safety; drivers behind vendor and consumer actions; the interplay of individual behaviours, associations, technology, and local authorities in their impact on food safety in different countries. The webinar will also introduce EatSafe, a new USAID-funded program to enhance food safety for consumers in five countries, with an emphasis on informal markets. 

This webinar will explore:

  • The defining features and stakeholders of traditional markets, with focus on food safety
  • Drivers of vendor and consumer actions
  • The interplay of individual behaviour, socio-economic drivers, associations, technology, and local government in their impact on food safety improvements
  • Africa/Asia and country differences
  • It will describe efforts by USAID to improve food safety and nutrition with an emphasis on informal markets 
  • It will introduce EatSafe, a new program to enhance food safety for consumers in five countries. 

 

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