Presented by Barbara Rischkowsky, Tamsin Dewe and Krstina Rosel at the Multi-stakeholder Workshop for Targeting Action Research on Small Ruminant Value Chains in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 14th-15th March 2013
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Safe Food, Fair Food: Summary of findings within sheep value chains in the Ethiopian Highlands
1. Safe Food, Fair Food: Summary
of findings within sheep value
chains in the Ethiopian Highlands
Barbara Rischkowsky, Tamsin Dewé, Kristina Rösel,
Multi-stakeholder Workshop for Targeting Action Research on Small
Ruminant Value Chains in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, 14th-15th March 2013
2. Safe Food, Fair Food
Protecting the health of poor consumers
and
Safeguarding livelihoods of poor livestock
keepers and other value chain actors
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. Results: all sites
Sheep meat consumption patterns
– Peaks at major national and religious festivals
– Low in intervening periods
7. 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
9. 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
11. Results: Horro
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
Photo credits: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu
13. 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
14. 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