To prepare safer food… be prepared for the unexpected

To prepare safer food… be prepared for the unexpected

We expect to be eating peanuts, not extreme amounts of aflatoxins, and chicken but not E. coli. We expect that our salads are washed with clean water, and that the person who prepared the salad first washed their hands. We cannot, however, always assume the expected and thus need to be ready for the unexpected. Unexpected events can take the form of natural disasters, such as earthquakes or floods. They might also come from power cuts or amid sudden political change. Such events can disrupt food availability, accessibility and safety, leaving us exposed to increased levels of unsafe food.
GAIN Discussion Paper Series 16 - Nutritious and Safe Food for All

GAIN Discussion Paper Series 16 - Nutritious and Safe Food for All

Foodborne disease is a major global health challenge, causing millions of illnesses every year – mostly in low- and middle-income countries – and hindering achievement of other global goals, such as improved nutrition. Since contamination of food can happen at any point ‘from farm to fork’, reducing the burden of foodborne illness requires a whole-of-food-system approach: one that considers all actors and activities that play a role in production, processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food. The objective of this paper is to discuss how to enact such a food system approach to food safety, with a focus on LMICs.
Nourishing Futures: The Opportunity of Investing in Child Nutrition

Nourishing Futures: The Opportunity of Investing in Child Nutrition

“Be the voice of the children” - that was a key messages of a panel discussion held at the 2024 Sankalp Africa Summit on a sunny morning in Nairobi. It focused on how investors and those who work with them can adapt their approaches to better support children’s nutrition. Among the five panellists — representing GAIN, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, Save the Children, and a local enterprise, Shalem Investment Limited — the motivation for doing this was clear. Children are the future, comprising nearly half of the African population at present and growing fast — expected to reach 1 billion by 2055. They thus have the potential to accelerate development not only in Africa but worldwide. But that potential is currently limited by malnutrition. 
Mini Cruncher: EatSafe - Protecting Nutrition through Food Safety

Mini Cruncher: EatSafe - Protecting Nutrition through Food Safety

Feed The Future's EatSafe: Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food is a USAID-funded programme aiming to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods in traditional markets by focusing on behaviour change. Sadia Kaenzig, Head of Communications and Caroline DeWaal, Deputy Director at EatSafe speak about the importance and impact of food safety.
EatSafe in Nigeria Baseline Assessment

EatSafe in Nigeria Baseline Assessment

As part of EatSafe's effort to evaluate the impacts of food safety behavior change interventions, this report summarized food safety behaviors and behavior drivers across four food safety macro-indices, assessed via structured surveys of vendors and consumers in Nigeria.
EatSafe in Ethiopia Baseline Assessment

EatSafe in Ethiopia Baseline Assessment

As part of EatSafe's effort to evaluate the impacts of food safety behavior change interventions, this report summarized food safety behaviors and behavior drivers across four food safety macro-indices, assessed via structured surveys of vendors and consumers in Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Food Safety, Traditional Markets, and Consumer Demand in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Landscape Synthesis

Food Safety, Traditional Markets, and Consumer Demand in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Landscape Synthesis

The scope of this review focused on traditional markets, which provide millions of people with nutrient-rich commodities like animal-source foods and fresh produce. However, these same foods are the leading cause of foodborne disease globally. The research, based on insights from 11 literature reviews, revealed that there is a strong connection between food safety, nutrition, and health. To address these issues, a food systems approach is required.