Food Safety Interventions in Africa and Asia: A Review of Studies Relevant to Traditional Markets in Low-Resource Settings

The EatSafe program aims to engage and empower consumers and market actors to obtain safe and nutritious food. A systematic review of studies relevant to traditional markets in low-resource settings was conducted to inform the design and testing of consumer-centered food safety interventions. The review focused on studies from Asia and Africa, with a total of 123 papers considered for inclusion. The quality assessment criteria used to evaluate the papers included study design, sample size, and outcome measures. The data extraction and analysis involved synthesizing the findings from the Asia and Africa reviews to identify common themes and patterns. The Asia review included 73 papers, with a focus on food safety interventions involving market operators, household or community level, and healthcare or hospital settings. The synthesis of findings from the Asia review highlighted the importance of market-based interventions, such as training vendors on food safety practices and providing them with access to safe food handling equipment. Household or community-level interventions, such as education and training on food safety practices, were also found to be effective in improving food safety. The Africa review included 50 papers, with a focus on food safety interventions involving market operators, household or community level, and healthcare or hospital settings. The synthesis of findings from the Africa review highlighted the importance of addressing the root causes of food safety risks, such as poor infrastructure and lack of access to safe food handling equipment. Interventions that targeted multiple value chains and involved multiple actors, such as farmers, traders, and vendors, were found to be more effective in improving food safety. The discussion section of the report highlights the importance of considering the cultural and social context of food safety interventions in traditional markets. The report also emphasizes the need for a multi-faceted approach to food safety, involving government, private sector, and civil society organizations. The conclusions section summarizes the key findings from the review and highlights the importance of continued research and evaluation to inform the development of effective food safety interventions. The EatSafe program aims to address the complex food safety challenges in traditional markets in Africa and Asia. The program's focus on behavior change interventions shaped by consumer or vendor knowledge and/or attitudes that can lead to action, or remove obstacles preventing action, is a key aspect of its approach. The program's emphasis on engaging and empowering consumers and market actors to obtain safe and nutritious food is also critical to its success. The report highlights the importance of addressing the root causes of food safety risks, such as poor infrastructure and lack of access to safe food handling equipment. Interventions that targeted multiple value chains and involved multiple actors, such as farmers, traders, and vendors, were found to be more effective in improving food safety. The report also emphasizes the need for a multi-faceted approach to food safety, involving government, private sector, and civil society organizations. The EatSafe program's focus on behavior change interventions and its emphasis on engaging and empowering consumers and market actors to obtain safe and nutritious food are critical to its success. The program's approach to addressing the complex food safety challenges in traditional markets in Africa and Asia is multi-faceted and involves multiple stakeholders. The program's focus on addressing the root causes of food safety risks and its emphasis on involving multiple actors in the food value chain are key aspects of its approach. The report highlights the importance of continued research and evaluation to inform the development of effective food safety interventions. The EatSafe program's approach to addressing the complex food safety challenges in traditional markets in Africa and Asia is a critical step towards improving the safety and nutritional quality of food in these markets. The program's focus on behavior change interventions and its emphasis on engaging and empowering consumers and market actors to obtain safe and nutritious food are key aspects of its approach.