Developing, testing, and estimating health impacts of a food hygiene intervention in informal open-air markets in Maputo, Mozambique
Principal Investigator: Karen Levy, RGHI International Collaboration Grant Award Holder
Open-air markets–often called wet or live markets–are important sources of food and livelihood for people in low- and middle-income countries.
However, these markets also pose health risks for respiratory pathogens, due to animals and humans sharing close spaces, and for food borne pathogen transmission, due to limited infrastructure and vendor training to maintain food hygiene. Markets also contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistant organisms, labeled by the World Health Organisation as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Our previous research in Maputo, Mozambique identified open-air markets as high-risk points for contamination of chicken products with two pathogens that are major contributors to diarrhoeal disease burdens, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
To address these health risks, a market-based hygiene intervention is being developed to improve poultry food hygiene in open-air markets in Maputo through a co-creation process with key stakeholders, including chicken vendors. The impact of the selected intervention on contamination of chicken products sold in the markets with Salmonella and Campylobacter pathogens and antibiotic resistant organisms is tested. Finally, the effects of reducing market-based contamination of poultry products on health risk are modelled with a specific focus on the health impacts of our intervention.
This intervention is developed, evaluated, and scaled in partnership with diverse stakeholders, including regulators, vendors, suppliers, market managers, and consumers.
