Mapping Nairobi's dairy food system: An essential analysis for policy, industry and research

Demand for dairy products in sub-Saharan Africa, is expected to triple by 2050, while limited increase in supply is predicted. This poses significant food security risk to low income households. Understanding how the dairy food system operates is essential to identify mitigation measures to food insecurity impact. This study aims to determine the structure and functionality of Nairobi's dairy system using a value chain mapping approach

Food safety and public health implications of growing urban food markets

Currently, Africa suffers from the highest per capita rate of foodborne illnesses in the world. The riskiest foods from a health perspective are animal-source foods, fruits, and fresh vegetables. Consumption of all these is growing rapidly in African cities. Food products sold in formal markets and retail outlets are not necessarily safer than those sold in informal markets. Improvements in urban food safety will require intentioned investments in domestic market infrastructure and improved awareness of the shared responsibility to provide safe food by regulators and value chain actors

Food safety metrics relevant to low- and middle-income countries

London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineRoyal Veterinary College, LondonWorld Health OrganizationFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation

A unified model for BAM function that takes into account type Vc secretion and species differences in BAM composition

Transmembrane proteins in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria are almost exclusively β-barrels. They are inserted into the outer membrane by a conserved and essential protein complex called the BAM (for β-barrel assembly machinery). In this commentary, we summarize current research into the mechanism of this protein complex and how it relates to type V secretion. Type V secretion systems are autotransporters that all contain a β-barrel transmembrane domain inserted by BAM. In type Vc systems, this domain is a homotrimer. We argue that none of the current models are sufficient to explain BAM function particularly regarding type Vc secretion. We also find that current models based on the well-studied model system Escherichia coli mostly ignore the pronounced differences in BAM composition between different bacterial species. We propose a more holistic view on how all OMPs, including autotransporters, are incorporated into the lipid bilayer