Food Safety in Low and Middle Income Countries

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Editorial

15 February 2024

Editorial: Food safety in low- and middle-income countries

Delia Grace

,

Bassirou Bonfoh

,

Barbara Häsler

and

Hung Nguyen-Viet

1,997 views

1 citations

Editors

4

Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich

Bassirou Bonfoh

Swiss Centre for Scientific Research (Côte d'Ivoire)

Hung Nguyen-Viet

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Barbara Häsler

Royal Veterinary College (RVC)

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Foodborne diseases (FBD) are an important externality of agriculture and food systems, but only recently have they risen up the development agenda as the result of growing awareness of the health and economic burdens of FBD and how they relate to food systems with a focus on low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), particularly African nations. The health burden of FBD is comparable with that of malaria, and over 90% falls on people in LMIC, with an economic burden of more than US$100 million per year. FBD have many other, less well-estimated effects on nutrition, gender, equity, and the environment. While understanding of food safety in domestic markets of LMICs has advanced greatly, risk management is in its infancy. This Research Topic will bring together leading regional perspectives on food safety in LMICs.

While the evidence is increasing on the global burdens of foodborne disease, data is often lacking on food safety issues at national and sub-national levels. The externalities of foodborne disease and foodborne disease control (especially impacts on nutrition) are little understood. Moreover, tools for risk profiling and systematic prioritization are little used where health burden is highest. While previous research and donor investments often focused on food safety as related to the formal sector and export, the last decade has seen new initiatives targeting the mass domestic markets of LMICs which are responsible for most of the burden of foodborne disease. However, the results of these initiatives have not yet been comprehensively synthesized and disseminated. This Research Topic will close the two gaps of lack of granularity of risk assessments and best evidence on risk management in LMIC food markets.

The scope of this collection includes but is not limited to:

-Regional perspectives of food safety in LMICs
-Risk prioritization
-Risk profiling
-Risk assessment
-Risk management;
-Risk communication
-Policy

Foodborne diseases (FBD) are an important externality of agriculture and food systems, but only recently have they risen up the development agenda as the result of growing awareness of the health and economic burdens of FBD and how they relate to food systems with a focus on low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), particularly African nations. The health burden of FBD is comparable with that of malaria, and over 90% falls on people in LMIC, with an economic burden of more than US$100 million per year. FBD have many other, less well-estimated effects on nutrition, gender, equity, and the environment. While understanding of food safety in domestic markets of LMICs has advanced greatly, risk management is in its infancy. This Research Topic will bring together leading regional perspectives on food safety in LMICs.

While the evidence is increasing on the global burdens of foodborne disease, data is often lacking on food safety issues at national and sub-national levels. The externalities of foodborne disease and foodborne disease control (especially impacts on nutrition) are little understood. Moreover, tools for risk profiling and systematic prioritization are little used where health burden is highest. While previous research and donor investments often focused on food safety as related to the formal sector and export, the last decade has seen new initiatives targeting the mass domestic markets of LMICs which are responsible for most of the burden of foodborne disease. However, the results of these initiatives have not yet been comprehensively synthesized and disseminated. This Research Topic will close the two gaps of lack of granularity of risk assessments and best evidence on risk management in LMIC food markets.

The scope of this collection includes but is not limited to:

-Regional perspectives of food safety in LMICs
-Risk prioritization
-Risk profiling
-Risk assessment
-Risk management;
-Risk communication
-Policy

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Editors

Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich

Bassirou Bonfoh

Swiss Centre for Scientific Research (Côte d'Ivoire)

Hung Nguyen-Viet

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Barbara Häsler

Royal Veterinary College (RVC)

Impact

102,049 Total views

80,180 Article views

19,811 Article downloads

2,058 Topic views

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Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Agro-Food Safety

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