Informal sector meat ‘safer’
Study shows fewer dangerous bacteria
MEAT from informally slaughtered animals that are sold in informal markets have lower levels of dangerous bacteria than that in the formal supply chain.
This is according to a PhD study that investigated the presence of salmonella infection in the Eastern Cape.
The study was presented by Dr Ishmael Jaja of the Department of Livestock and Pasture Science at the University of Fort Hare, at the International Conference for Food Safety and Security held in Pretoria last week.
“South Africa is a meat-eating country and is also responsible for a significant portion of the meat that goes to SADC and the rest of the world,” he said.
Meat is prone to contamination by micro-organisms and, in many cases, some of these pathogens may carry resistant genes that can cause infection in human beings.
“Safety of meat is a very important part of food security. Poor hygiene, cross-contamination and ignorance often result in infection, which can lead to trade bans and economic losses for the country and its farmers.”
The research, funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence in Food Security, was carried out in three of the six districts of the Eastern Cape.
Meat from carcasses slaughtered in abattoirs and at slaughter points in the informal sector were sampled. The meat was then taken to the laboratory to identify salmonella strains and antibiotic resistance.
“We found that there were more positive results for salmonella in the formal meat sector than in the informal meat sector. Often we feel that if meat has been slaughtered at an abattoir, it’s clean, but from our studies and from another conducted by a colleague, we know that there is a lot of contamination from abattoirs – more than you’d think – so it’s not safe to say they are clean,” said Jaja.
He said one way to explain the surprising finding could be that there were many touch points in the formal market’s supply chain, providing many opportunities for contamination.
However, when looking at antibiotic resistance, it was found that there was greater resistance in the informal sector. Jaja said this was most likely because informal farmers were less likely to follow food safety practices.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases(NICD) announced on Wednesday that the outbreak of listeriosis that affected more than 1000 people was over.
“Presently, surveillance data in both the public and private sectors continue to affirm that the outbreak is over,” the NICD said in a statement.
“The number of cases reported per week has remained low and stable, having returned to pre-outbreak levels. The National Department of Health together with the World Health Organisation convened a joint WHO-RSA listeriosis incident management team made up of senior officials.
“The activities of the team are to strengthen food safety, especially in ready-to-eat meat.”