Potential food safety risks in tomato value chains in urban settings of Eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative investigation

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country instituteen_US
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research instituteen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Instituteen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationAddis Ababa Universityen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationLeibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economyen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationHaramaya Universityen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationWorld Vegetable Centeren_US
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Greenwichen_US
cg.contributor.crpAgriculture for Nutrition and Healthen_US
cg.contributor.donorBill & Melinda Gates Foundationen_US
cg.contributor.donorForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdomen_US
cg.contributor.donorFederal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germanyen_US
cg.coverage.countryEthiopiaen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2ETen_US
cg.coverage.regionAfricaen_US
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africaen_US
cg.creator.identifierKebede Amenu: 0000-0002-0985-2950en_US
cg.creator.identifierGetachew Dinede: 0000-0001-9224-9716en_US
cg.creator.identifierKristina Roesel: 0000-0002-2553-1129en_US
cg.creator.identifierDelia Grace: 0000-0002-0195-9489en_US
cg.creator.identifierTheo Knight-Jones: 0000-0003-4342-6055en_US
cg.howPublishedFormally Publisheden_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1254000en_US
cg.isijournalISI Journalen_US
cg.issn2571-581Xen_US
cg.journalFrontiers in Sustainable Food Systemsen_US
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen_US
cg.subject.actionAreaResilient Agrifood Systemsen_US
cg.subject.ilriFOOD SAFETYen_US
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food securityen_US
cg.subject.impactPlatformNutrition, Health and Food Securityen_US
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hungeren_US
cg.volume7en_US
dc.contributor.authorAmenu, Kebedeen_US
dc.contributor.authorMegersa, B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorJaleta, M.B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorDinede, Getachewen_US
dc.contributor.authorWorku, H.en_US
dc.contributor.authorKasim, K.en_US
dc.contributor.authorTaha, M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorIbrahim, A.M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorKedir, J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMego, Linaen_US
dc.contributor.authorRoesel, Kristinaen_US
dc.contributor.authorRoothaert, R.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSrinivasan, R.en_US
dc.contributor.authorGrace, Deliaen_US
dc.contributor.authorKnight-Jones, Theodore J.D.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-05T13:11:25Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-12-05T13:11:25Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/135029en_US
dc.titlePotential food safety risks in tomato value chains in urban settings of Eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative investigationen_US
dcterms.abstractBackground: The value chains of tomatoes in Ethiopia are largely informal which may pose potential food safety risks. Value chains (VCs) mapping was carried out with emphasis on tomatoes in two major cities in eastern Ethiopia—Harar and Dire Dawa—which were assessed to identify practices likely to result in unsafe food, considering production, transportation, retail, preparation, and consumption. Methods: Qualitative methods were used to map the VCs to understand the flows, actors, and practices. Group discussions and key informant interviews were performed to better understand the processes, practices, beliefs, and food safety risks in these VCs. Results: The two cities are supplied by two vegetable VCs: the first and larger being from distant producers in central Ethiopia, and the second from surrounding rural and peri-urban producers. The long-distance VCs involve producers, brokers, transporters, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. The local producers, however, bring their fresh products directly to the cities without the involvement of VC actors other than final retailers and consumers. The study suggests microbiological contamination risks along tomato VCs, potentially including soil contamination, use of sewerage-contaminated irrigation water, untreated manure, unhygienic handling and storage conditions, and dirty contact surfaces during transportation and retailing. Tomatoes are mostly harvested by hand picking, collected, and sorted on the ground exposing to sunlight and physical bruising with potential contamination. More importantly, tomatoes are widely consumed raw without “a kill-step” that certainly contributes to food-borne infections. Suggestions by study participants for improving food safety and hygiene include funding toward improved infrastructure and facilities in the sectors, supporting VC actors with improved technology for quality production, and increasing awareness of good and hygienic practices. Consumers were particularly concerned about contamination with agrochemicals without much emphasis on the potential microbial contaminants. Fresh tomatoes are prepared in a variety of ways and are often consumed raw or slightly cooked. Further recommendations included using health extension workers to conduct awareness campaigns on improved food safety and hygienic practices. Conclusion: The qualitative VC mapping generated useful information for designing intervention strategies, especially targeting developing food safety interventions and an awareness communication campaign.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Accessen_US
dcterms.audienceAcademicsen_US
dcterms.audienceScientistsen_US
dcterms.available2023-12-04en_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationAmenu, K., Megersa, B., Jaleta, M.B., Dinede, G., Worku, H., Kasim, K., Taha, M., Ibrahim, A.M., Kedir, J., Mego, L., Roesel, K., Roothaert, R., Srinivasan, R., Grace, D. and Knight-Jones, T. 2023. Potential food safety risks in tomato value chains in urban settings of Eastern Ethiopia: a qualitative investigation. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 7: 1254000.en_US
dcterms.extent1254000en_US
dcterms.issued2023-12-04en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0en_US
dcterms.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dcterms.subjectfood safetyen_US
dcterms.subjectvegetablesen_US
dcterms.typeJournal Articleen_US

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