Impacts of a randomized slaughterhouse hygiene intervention in Western Kenya

FAO is conducting a series of knowledge-rich webinars on a monthly basis as part of the Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial Animal Biosecurity (PMP-TAB) Community of Practice. These webinars cover a host of topics related to the progressive improvement of terrestrial animal biosecurity, involving speakers and participants from multiple disciplines and backgrounds.

During this month’s webinar, we will learn about a randomized controlled trial of a hygiene intervention recently conducted in 140 slaughter facilities in Western Kenya. The intervention included training of meat handlers on hygienic food handling practices, provision of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), and completion of a weekly hygiene checklist by public meat inspectors. Slaughterhouse customers noticed changes in facility cleanliness and practices, and intervention facilities saw a marked increase in the number of animals processed. However, contamination levels of meat were not reduced at intervention compared to control facilities. The results indicate the need for the deployment of more effective technologies to enable hygienic slaughter of animals in low-income settings, and suggest that market forces could play a role in stimulating the adoption of such technologies.

Presenters
Elizabeth Cook, Senior Scientist - Epidemiology, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Vivian Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

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