Evaluating implementation strategies for improved food safety in Vietnam

Pork is the most popular and consumed meat in Vietnam, and the preference among consumers for fresh and “warm” pork makes the traditional pork value chain dominate the pork industry. This thesis assessed microbial contamination in pork, then evaluated the technical and economic aspects of light-touch interventions in improving the safety of pork in the small-scale value chain. A total of 671 specimens of retailed pork were collected from traditional retail, modern retail, and food services to assess total bacterial count (TBC) and Salmonella prevalence. The results showed that 58% of samples were contaminated with Salmonella, and 93% of samples did not qualify for the Vietnamese standard of TBC in meat. The contamination of pork was not significantly different between the traditional and modern retail while hygiene practices were associated with lower microbial contamination. Subsequently, light-touch intervention packages were co-designed and implemented at ten small-scale slaughterhouses and 29 traditional pork shops. The packages consisted of providing tools and delivering training for participants. Results showed a reduction of TBC in pig carcasses (from 4.46 to 4.24 log10 colony forming units (CFU)/ cm2, p = 0.09) and Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork (from 52% to 24% detection, p = 0.08). The upgraded pork shop was then introduced to local consumers in a Becker-DeGroot- Marschak auction game. Consumers showed a strong belief in the intervention at retail stage and were willing to pay 13,000 Vietnam Dong (VND), or 20% higher price, (p < 0.01) for each kilogram intervened pork compared to a typical one. This premium payment would cover the investment to upgrade most shops (varied from 421 to 4,146 VND/kg pork). Besides, consuming intervened pork was predicted to reduce annual risk of salmonellosis from 12% to 6%. This reduction could lead to a net benefit of 27,696,241 VND (95% CI: -546,816 – 117,515,493) for consumers and 207,788 VND (95% CI: -38,941 – 658,884) for pork sellers. This thesis provides a sustainable solution to improve pork safety across the small-scale value chain in Vietnam. An appropriate strategy to motivate these actors to implement the light-touch intervention could significantly improve the well-being of community

Research to support and inform the development, implementation and/or evaluation of tobacco control policies in relation to the framework convention on tobacco control in low and middle-income countries

In order to enforce policies on tobacco control in Vietnam, reliable information on health and socio-economic hazards associated with tobacco farming is needed. The study investigates the harmful impact of tobacco cultivation and processing on health of tobacco farmers in a rural community in northern Vietnam. Objectives included estimation of health care costs as well as health beliefs related to tobacco cultivation and processing. The health of those who cultivate the crop is constantly put in peril. The study confirms that tobacco farming does not bring prosperity to the farmers while causing them a lot of health problems, especially among women

Evaluation of EBNA-1 (epstein-barr virus nuclear antigen-1) gene prevalence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Vietnamese patients

This study examined the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on the detection of EBNA-1 (Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1) by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), in Vietnamese population. Firstly, we systematically analyzed the mean of percentage weighted of the presence of EBNA-1 in previous relevant studies. Experimentally, 31 nasopharyngeal cancer biopsies and 20 healthy samples were enrolled in current to evaluate the frequency of candidate genes. As the results, the frequency of EBNA-1 was 77.42%, whereas, none of any cases of healthy samples were found to positive to target gene. The p value < 0.05 (p = 0.0001) showed that it was significant correlation between the presence of this candidate gene and nasopharyngeal cancer. Moreover, a high odds ratio (OR) and relative risk (RR) of candidate gene, (OR = 68.16, RR = 2.41) were calculated. Therefore, the detection of EBNA-1, which performed by PCR, could serve as a good supplement to early diagnosis and prognosis of NPC in Vietnamese population

Effect of light-touch intervention and associated factors to microbial contamination at small-scale pig slaughterhouses and traditional pork shops in Vietnam

Traditional pork value chains dominate the production and distribution of pork in Vietnam; however, the high level of microbiological contamination in pork may increase the risk of food-borne disease for consumers. There is limited evidence about how to feasibly and scalably reduce microbial contamination in pork sold in traditional markets. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of light-touch interventions for changing worker behaviour in small-scale slaughterhouses and vendors at traditional pork shops, as well as to identify risk factors for pork contamination. The intervention packages consisted of providing hygiene tools and delivering a food safety training which had been designed in a participatory way and covered 10 small-scale slaughterhouses and 29 pork shops. Pig carcasses, retailed pork, contact surfaces, and hands were sampled to measure the total bacterial count (TBC) and Salmonella contamination before, three and six weeks after the intervention, and trainee practices were observed at the same time. Linear and generalized linear mixed effects models were constructed to identify risk factors for TBC and Salmonella contamination at the slaughterhouses and pork shops. The interventions at slaughterhouses and pork shops both showed a slight reduction of TBC contamination in pig carcasses and Salmonella prevalence in retailed pork, while the TBC in retailed pork decreased only marginally. For slaugh-terhouses, the regression model indicated that smoking or eating during slaughtering (indicating poor hygienic practices) was associated with TBC increasing, while cleaning floors and wearing boots reduced TBC contami-nation. For pork shops, using rough materials (cardboard or wood) to display pork was the only factor increasing TBC contamination in pork, whereas cleaning knives was associated with lower TBC. Besides, the presence of supporters and wearing aprons reduced the probability of Salmonella contamination in pork. The findings highlight the effectiveness of light-touch interventions in reducing microbial contamination in pig carcasses at small-scale slaughterhouses and pork at traditional shops over the study period