Safe Food, Fair Food: Summary of findings within sheep value

chains in the Ethiopian HighlandsBarbara Rischkowsky, Tamsin Dewé, Kristina Rösel,

Multi-stakeholder Workshop for Targeting Action Research on Small Ruminant Value Chains in EthiopiaAddis Ababa, 14th-15th March 2013

Safe Food, Fair Food

Protecting the health of poor consumers

and Safeguarding livelihoods of poor livestock

keepers and other value chain actors

Background

Looking at risks to food safety and nutrition within sheep and goat value chains

Trying to identify opportunities for further research and intervention

Ultimate goal is to ensure adequate intake of safe and nutritious foods, while protecting the livelihoods of poor value chain actors

Activities

Rapid assessment conducted alongside rapid VCA at each site

Participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) with producer and consumer groups at Doyogena, Horro and Menz

Focus group discussions (FGDs) with mothers of young children at Doyogena and Horro

Topics included animal health, consumption patterns, food preparation, and perceptions of quality and safety of sheep meat

Results: all sites

Animal health– Disease was an important

constraint on production at all sites

– Respiratory disease, ‘bottle jaw’ and diarrhoea were major causes of morbidity and mortality

Photo credit: Grit/Suzanne Cox

Results: all sites

Sheep meat consumption patterns– Peaks at major national and religious festivals– Low in intervening periods

Results: all sites

Risks to safety of sheep meat– Emergency slaughter and consumption of

diseased animals occurs– Consumption of raw or lightly cooked meat

or offal occurs Risk mitigation

– Smell, colour and texture used to assess quality and safety

– Cooking ‘suspect’ meat thoroughly Nutritional issues

– Lack of meat in the diet

Results: Doyogena Sick animals Deaths

Results: Doyogena

Risky food practices– Emergency slaughter and consumption of

animals with grain overload– Albendazole residues in meat due to use

during fattening– Fresh meat stored until next day– Consumption of dulet

Risk-mitigating practices– No consumption of animals with other

diseases– Careful slaughter practices to avoid

contamination– Lesions are trimmed from meat and the

remainder is boiled– Meat that might be a health risk is boiled

Results: Horro Sick animals Deaths

Results: Horro

Photo credits: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu

Risky food practices– Consumption of lightly cooked meat

Risk-mitigating practices– Avoiding trauma and stress to the

animal before slaughter– Careful butchering to keep offal and

muscle meat separate– Meat that might be a health risk is

boiled

Results: Menz Sick animals Deaths

Results: Menz

Risky food practices– Emergency slaughter and consumption of

animals with specific diseases– Eating of dulet and lightly cooked meat

Risk-mitigating practices– Meat is consumed quickly after slaughter,

or preserved– Dark or foul-smelling meat is not

consumed– Meat that might be a health risk is boiled

Conclusions

Interventions in animal health are required

Risky consumption practices occur at all sites but are often mitigated by thorough cooking

Better if all meat and offal is well-cooked - some loss of nutritional quality, but large reduction in risks

Infrequent meat consumption probably represents greater risk to nutritional status than to food safety

Improving the economic status of households is the first step towards increased meat consumption

Safe Food, Fair Food

Tamsin Dewé, Consultant tamsindewe@gmail.com

Kristina Rösel, Project Co-Ordinatork.rosel@cgiar.org

All photo credits to ILRI/ Tamsin Dewé unless otherwise indicated