Understanding food safety awareness and practices along smallholder pig value chains in Vietnam using participatory approaches

Pig production plays an important role in both food supply and economic development in Vietnam. We assessed the food safety awareness and practice of involved key actors along the smallholder pig value chains in Hung Yen, Vietnam using participatory approaches. Data collection included quantitative (checklists, questionnaires) and qualitative (in-depth interviews and focus group discussions-FGD) tools and was done in three districts of Hung Yen. All survey tools were developed and pre-tested. Checklists (n=22) and questionnaires (n=12) followed random sampling procedures. The respondents for in-depth interviews (n=24) were randomly selected, while the participants for FGDs (n=5) were recruited by convenience. Data collection was done between January and June, 2013. Descriptive statistic was used for quantitative data, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The outline for data collection for included groups and stakeholders (slaughterhouse workers, pork sellers, veterinary and public health staff, people living around slaughterhouses, pork consumers) was structured around food safety, diseases and health risks. Differences in what some groups found important or unsafe, based on their occupational priorities or labour focus were identified by using ranking tables and analysed accordingly. Analyses show that for slaughterhouse workers and pork sellers the food safety risks were highest and linked to lack of training, or relying only on “learning by doing” an experience provided by other workers or sellers. People living around slaughterhouses expressed concerns about health effects but also pointed out the advantages of their proximity to slaughterhouses, such as job opportunities and easy access to fresh pork. Pork consumer groups were more concerned about sensorial criteria (e.g. freshly looking, bright red colour) and expressed also some awareness on pork quality. Veterinary and public health staff emphasised the gap between existing legislation and food safety practices. Findings provide information on food safety awareness and practices along various actors and stakeholders. There is a need for improved standards, targeted training and collaborative mechanisms between veterinary and public health authorities to better manage the food production chain

Risk-based approach to food safety research: Application to pork value chains in Vietnam

Introduction: Food-borne disease is a major public health issue in Vietnam. The contamination of popular foods can occur all along the food value chains. It is important to understand how and where food safety issues arise in order to mitigate and prevent food-borne diseases. Risk-based approach is a tool for managing food safety, however in Vietnam it is rarely applied and the capacity for application is still lacking. This paper describes how food safety risk assessment research has been applied for the pork value chain in Vietnam. Methods: We have conducted a risk assessment research to assess health risks related to pork consumption in the context of pig smallholder value chains and pork traded in informal markets. We collected 216 samples from 72 pig farms (floor swab, drinking and waste water), 545 samples from 49 slaughterhouses (carcass swab, lymph node, rectal feces, floor swab and washing water) and 514 samples from 220 pork retailed shops at informal markets (pork cuts, ground pork and cutting board swab) in Hung Yen and Nghe An provinces in the north and central of Vietnam. These 1275 samples were analyzed to detect qualitatively and quantitatively for Salmonella and E. coli. Chemical hazards (antibiotic, growth promoters, and heavy metal residues) in 190 pork samples from informal markets were also analyzed. Pork consumption behavior and cross-contamination modalities during pork preparation were assessed. Findings and interpretations: Overall prevalence of Salmonella combined from all types of above mentioned samples at pig farms, slaughterhouses and pork shops were 35%, 30% and 37%, respectively. Salmonella contamination in the final product (pork at market) was 45% and an average concentration of 9 MPN/g was recorded. E. coli average loads along different points of the chain were 5.3±1.4 (farm floor swabs), 2.9±0.9 (carcass swabs), 3.1±1.0 (slaughterhouse floor swabs), and 3.3±1.1 (market shop cutting board swabs) logCFU/cm2 , whereas pork from market had 3.4±0.9 logCFU/g. Demonstrated high levels of Salmonella in the final product (pork at market) induces the potential health risks for the consumers. High values for E. coli indicates general poor hygiene along the chain. 50% and 16.7% pooled samples were positive with sulfamethazine and chloramphenicol, with average residue levels of 156 µg/kg and 0.54 µg/kg, respectively. A quantitative risk model is being developed and integrates information on contamination along the pork value chain to characterize the health risk caused by Salmonella. Appropriate hygiene practices and management are required to achieve better pork quality and reduce the risk for the consumers

Global health issues with focus on food safety in Southeast Asia

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Researc

Hygiene and microbial contamination along the pork value chain in Vietnam

In Vietnam, pork accounts for 75% of total meat consumed daily at households. However, pork may contain high levels of microbial contamination such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli which might cause harm to consumers. To determine microbial contamination along the pork value chain, we collected 216 samples from 72 pig farms (floor swab, drinking and waste water), 545 from 49 slaughterhouses (carcass swab, lymph node, rectal feces, floor swab and washing water) and 514 from 220 pork shops in the informal markets (pork cuts, ground pork and cutting board swab) in two provinces of Vietnam (Hung Yen and Nghe An). Samples were analyzed to detect qualitatively and quantitatively Salmonella and E. coli. Overall prevalence of Salmonella combined from all types of above mentioned samples at pig farms, slaughterhouses and pork shops were 35%, 30% and 37%, respectively. Salmonella contamination in the final product (pork at market) was 45% and an average concentration of 9 MPN/g was recorded. E. coli average load along different points of the chain was 5.3 ± 1.4 (farm floor swabs), 2.9 ± 0.9 (carcass swabs), 3.1 ± 1.0 (slaughterhouse floor swabs), and 3.3 ± 1.1 (market shop cutting board swabs) logCFU/cm2, whereas pork from the market had 3.4 ± 0.9 logCFU/g. Demonstrated high levels of Salmonella in the final product (pork at market) induces the potential health risks for the consumers. High values for E. coli indicates general poor hygiene along the chain. Appropriate hygiene practices and management are required to achieve better pork quality and reduce the risk for the consumer. These data will serve as inputs for health risk assessments related to pork consumption

Risk pathways and prevalence in slaughtered pig blood of Streptococcus suis in Vietnam

Streptococcus suis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in Vietnamese adults, and the major risk factors have been identified as consumption of raw pig blood (Tiet canh), and occupational exposure to pigs. Previous studies of S. suis prevalence in pigs sampled from southern Vietnam have indicated very high levels of commensal infection in tonsil specimens, however there is relatively little data on prevalence rates of systemic infections in pigs (as indicated by detection from fresh blood), and prevalence rates from northern and central Vietnam have yet to be described. To address these data gaps, we sampled blood from 147 slaughtered pigs in two provinces Hung Yen (North) and Nghe An (Center) and analyzed for S. suis using PCR (16S- S. suis and S. suis serotype 2). In addition, we surveyed 406 heads of household and 51 slaughterhouse workers in these areas to understand behaviors and attitudes toward consumption of raw pig blood. A total of 33.3% of 147 pig blood samples tested positive with S. suis, but only 1.4% (2/147) were positive to S. suis serotype 2, the serotype most frequently associated with severe human infections. Fifteen of 406 people interviewed (3.4%) reported eating ‘Tiet canh’, whereas this rate was significantly higher at 43.1% (21 of 51) for slaughterhouse workers. These findings will be discussed in the context of the growing body of literature on S. suis epidemiology, culinary practices involving raw or undercooked pig products, and risk mitigation strategies to minimize disease transmission