The increased demand for foods of animal origin is often linked to the world’s growing human population. Consequently, meat producers, processors, and consumers give higher importance to meat safety. Worldwide, foodborne diseases are associated with the consumption of spoiled foods, which may occur during processing, among which meat processing has been attributed as a primary source of illness when contaminated.
Meat that is improperly handled may result in contamination by pathogenic bacteria and can lead to health hazards for the consumer. Butcheries have a massive role in the prevention of meat-borne diseases because of the high chances of meat contamination at the butchery level. To correct the errors from farm to fork, there is a deep need of education and training in the prevention of foodborne diseases among abattoir workers, butchery, meat producers, suppliers, handlers, and the general public.
According to the World health Organization, foodborne illnesses are estimated to have caused 600 million cases, 420,000 deaths, and approximately 33 million years of life of impairment worldwide in 2010, with Africa facing the greatest burden of mortality. In order to reduce microbial contamination, hygienic handling techniques during preparation, distribution, storage, and retail sales must be improved. To protect the population from food-borne bacterial diseases, it is necessary to educate and campaign for proper sanitation and meat-handling practices in abattoirs and butcher shops.
This study was motivated by the need of information to guide food safety policy development, good manufacturing practices and training in meat handling and hygiene in butcheries of all levels. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate meat safety practices and hygiene among different butcheries and retail supermarkets in Vhembe district. The results of this study may provide information on whether good manufacturing practices of meat are being fully followed at the retail level and whether they pose a threat to the health of the public.
KARAN BEEF Academy - EP 1 INTRO & OVERVIEW OF THE SA CATTLE MARKET - ENG
Study Methodology
The study was conducted from October to November 2021 at thirty-two butcheries and supermarkets found in Vhembe district, including 8 commercial butcheries situated in Thohoyandou, Shayandima, Sibasa and Elim, 6 village butcheries situated in Tsianda, Lwamondo, Matsila, Levubu, Masia and Vuwani and 18 supermarkets situated in Thohoyandou, Phangami, Sibasa, Mphephu, Biaba, Dzanani, Tshilamba and Makonde, within Vhembe district. The Vhembe district is located in Limpopo province, which is in the northern part of South Africa.
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Data were collected through direct personal observation using a structured questionnaire survey checklist to assess beef meat safety and hygiene practice in various village butcheries, commercial butcheries, and supermarkets. The questions involved the following themes: (i) socio-demographic characteristics of the participants; (ii) hygiene of meat handlers; (iii) cleanliness of working clothes; (iv) infrastructure, and maintenance of hygiene in supermarket/butchery; (v) the display of meat in butchery/supermarket.
The collected data were entered into a Microsoft Excel spread sheet (Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA) and analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics for Windows, version 28 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The data were summarized using descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentage. A one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the difference between the various butcheries. A p-value of less than 0.05 was set as a significance level. The meat safety practices at various butcheries were described descriptively.
Workers (n = 177) were both males and females ranging from 18 to 54 years. Most (68%) participants at the supermarket butcheries studied up to secondary school and only a few (6%) from the village butcheries obtained primary education.
Hygiene Practices in Different Butcheries
The majority (72%) of supermarket butcheries required workers to wash hands prior to work and many (89%) used protective gloves before handling meat. All supermarket butcheries workers wore personal protective equipment such as an apron or coat, protective boots and a hairnet while handling meat. Among the retail shops, 67% wore long protective clothes. However, they did not completely cover personal clothes.
Among the commercial butcheries, 50% washed their hands. The majority (75%) wore gloves prior to meat handling, while 25% handled meat with either bare hands or a plastic bag before distributing it to the consumer. Aprons or coats were worn by all commercial butchery workers; while 62% wore the same protective clothes when carrying out other activities in the butchery throughout the day, 75% wore hairnets. In all commercial butcheries, staff workers handling money were separate from those handling meat.
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At the village butcheries, 67% washed their hands prior to meat handling, however this was with water placed in a plastic basin/bucket. The water utilized had been previously used to wash hands and contained a dish cloth used to wipe the hands and counters of the butchery. Most of the time, the water contained dishwashing liquid or soap. Protective gloves were worn in only 17% of the village butcheries most of the butcheries (83%) handled meat with bare hands or a plastic bag. All village butchery staff wore either an apron or gown; 33% wore protective boots, 67% wore open sandals or shoes. All village butchery workers wore the apron or coats while carrying out other activities besides meat handling. At the village butcheries, all workers handling money were also handling meat. In Approximately 33% of the village butcheries, workers were observed to be wearing jewelry.
The majority (67%) of supermarket butchery workers had recent dirt (fresh particles of meat or blood) on work clothes and 17% of butcheries had ingrained dirt (old particles of meat and blood stains) on work clothes. At commercial butcheries, 38% of the butcheries had recent dirt covering working clothes, and 22% had ingrained dirt on their work clothes. Many (100%) of the village butcheries had recent dirt covering their work clothes and 33% had ingrained dirt on them.
All supermarket butcheries had walls, floors, and ceilings in good condition. All the retail shops had a safe water supply and pest control devices. However, 61% had dirty floors. Fifty-eight percent had clean counter and hooks; moreover, seventy-two percent had clean cutting tables for meat and a waste management system. Among the commercial butcheries, 87% had good structures. however, 13% had cracked walls and floors and 38% contained dirty floors. Sixty-two percent were identified with cleaning cloths and detergents and seventy-five percent of them had pest control devices. None of the commercial butcheries utilized paper towels. However, 75% percent of them properly confined and disposed waste.
At the village butcheries, 50% of the structures had walls, floors, and ceilings in good condition, while 50% had ceilings and walls that were tearing down and where we observed cracked tiles on the floor. Seventy-five percent of the village butcheries had a safe water supply, while twenty-five percent had water supplied from water reservoir tanks instead of directly from the tap. The majority of the village butcheries (83%) confined, as well as properly managed and disposed of waste. However, 17% lacked a dustbin and disposed waste on the dumpster site outside of the building of the butchery. Approximately 67% of the village butcheries had cleaning cloths, detergents, and pest control devices.
Among the supermarket butcheries, 83% displayed meat of different species separate from offal on a meat display fridge. In 89% of the supermarket butcheries, meat appeared red in color without an unpleasant odor and in 17% of the supermarket butcheries meat appeared dark brown. The majority (87%) of the commercial butcheries displayed meats of different species separate from offal in a window display fridge, 62% had meat that appeared red in color and 38% had meat that appeared dark brown and had an unpleasant odor. At the village butcheries, 67% displayed meats of different species and offal separately in a window display, 83% of the butcheries had meat that appeared red in color, while 17% had meat that appeared dark brown with unpleasant odor.
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The village, commercial and supermarket butcheries did not significantly differ based on the washing of hands, wearing of apron, gloves, hairnets, jewelry, butchery shop floor cleanliness, cutting tables, water supply, detergents, and pest control devices (ANOVA p > 0.05). Employees at village butcheries washed hands more than those at commercial butcheries (Mean = 0.67, standard error (SE = 0.211)), however workers at commercial butcheries wore gloves, hairnets, and waterproof boots more than village butcheries (Mean = 0.75, standard error (SE = 0.164)); all butcheries had a water supply, however, some village butcheries had water supplied from reservoir tanks instead of directly from the tap. This water had been collected from the nearest borehole, transferred into the reservoir tanks, and stored for present and future use. Moreover, they wore aprons while handling meat (Mean = 1.00, standard error (SE = 0.00)).
The Role of Butcheries in Preventing Meat-Borne Diseases
Due to the high likelihood of meat contamination at the butchery level, butcheries play a significant part in the prevention of meat-borne diseases. For the purpose of providing safe and fresh meat for human consumption, it is vital to practice and maintain good hygiene during meat handling. We evaluated meat safety practices and hygiene among supermarkets, commercial and village butcheries in the Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. The discussion that follows focuses on the primary meat processing techniques and their potential public health implications. Moreover, the practices are discussed considering the demands of the South African proclamations: Foodstuffs, Cosmetics & Disinfectants Act of 1972: General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, Food Transport, and Related Matters R 638 (Act 54 of 1972).
In the present study, the washing of hands, wearing protective gloves, boots, coats, and hairnets were good practices identified at the supermarket butcheries.
Meat handling is a crucial aspect of public health as it forms complex interactions among humans, animals, and the environment. African meat handlers continue to face various challenges in slaughterhouses that significantly impact their lives and the general public during meat processing. African meat handlers face socio-economic difficulties, including inadequate returns, unpredictable working environment, market, security, and limited healthcare access. Many meat handlers work informally in unregistered facilities and are not trained by experts on proper meat handling. This results in improper meat handling, raising the possibility of meat contamination by foodborne pathogens like Salmonella sp. and E. coli on slaughter and contact surfaces, hence posing a threat to meat safety and public health.
The demand for animal products has been rising in Africa for a long time, mainly due to urbanisation, which has had an immense effect on the continent’s diet generally and the need for meat in particular. Meat and meat products pass several stages before being ready for human consumption. These stages involve farm-level production, slaughter, processing, distribution, and preparation for human consumption so that meat and meat products are safe. Meat slaughtering, processing, and distribution are poorly regulated in African countries.
Traditional food processing and preservation are internationally known phenomena used for many years by populations of Africa. Modernisation and urbanisation in Africa have resulted in a significant rise in food safety and hygiene standards and a decline in meat-borne illnesses. Challenges associated with meat handling in Africa are multifaceted. Some challenges come directly from the slaughterhouse workers, the government, and the consumers. In most African countries, slaughterhouse workers and butchers involved in meat handling have unsatisfactory knowledge of meat safety and hygiene; therefore, meat is prone to contamination.
Some of these slaughterhouse workers handle meat without any measure to prevent contamination, such as using protective clothing. The government needs to establish more slaughterhouses, considering the number of animals slaughtered in Africa. Some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Libya, Djibouti and Tunisia do not have slaughterhouses. Carcasses are slaughtered, flayed, and cut on the floor, exposing the meat to contamination. Slaughterhouses have inadequate water supply, which is an essential facility. In some slaughterhouses, the clean and dirty operation sections need to be well-demarcated. Meat consumers also need to learn about meat hygiene, especially meat preservation methods.
Health Risks Associated with Poor Meat Handling
Health risks associated with poor handling of meat can stem directly from the animal and equipment used in the preparation and processing of the meat, the meat handlers, and poor preservation methods. The health risk from animals is particularly zoonotic diseases-naturally occurring infectious diseases that spread from animals to people. They usually affect humans through food, drink, environment, or direct contact. Meat handlers play a critical role in contaminating meat and spreading infections to consumers, which results in food poisoning and zoonotic diseases.
During post-mortem meat inspection in the abattoir, carcasses are exposed to numerous harmful agents, which could be chemical, biological or physical. Food poisoning occurs when a person consumes food contaminated by a microorganism or its toxins. Several infectious diseases occur due to poor handling of meat and meat products during inspection, transportation, distribution, processing, or storage. Bacteria are one of the most prevalent microorganisms associated with food spoilage and are abundant in slaughterhouses.
Salmonella is one of the most commonly encountered bacterial infections in meat due to poor meat handling, which causes typhoid and paratyphoid fever. They are the primary infectious illnesses caused by different Salmonella sp. in humans. Another is Campylobacter sp., which causes several gastrointestinal disorders, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. E. coli is also associated with diarrhoea and gastroenteritis, which are transmitted through contaminated food and water.
Apart from the organisms causing pathogenic diseases in humans, they are implicated in transferring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes from animals and the environment, which prevents antibiotics from working in humans. Foodborne viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus have been found to be transmitted through contaminated meat. Parasites also cause meat-borne diseases in humans.
Good biosecurity measures such as hygienic practices of meat handlers and thorough meat inspections in slaughterhouses can help reduce the risk of human infections.
Bushmeat: Consumption, Trade, and Risks
Most threatened by bushmeat hunting are mammals, of which only 2% of species are resilient to the increasing hunting pressure. Demand for bushmeat is continuously rising due to increasing human populations, lack of alternative protein sources and the emergence of improved hunting techniques. On top of its relevance for subsistence, bushmeat provides an important income source for rural communities due to its high trade value.
Bushmeat hunting is also one of the biggest contributors to the spread of zoonotic diseases. These are particularly dangerous for humans, as demonstrated by the 2013 ebola outbreak or the current Covid-19 pandemic. Africa’s bushmeat consumption shows interesting patterns. The poorest households tend to rely heavily on bushmeat in rural areas while in urbans settings, it is consumed as a luxury product. Approximately 4,5-4,9 million tonnes of bushmeat are harvested in Sub-Saharan Africa yearly, from 500 different species of which 91 are threatened.
The financial crisis 2008 fuelled bushmeat hunting as crop prices collapsed and hunting provided a good alternative for income generation. Countries of the Congo Basin have the highest reliance on bushmeat protein, consuming about 51 kg/capita annually. Although there are many natural parks dedicated to protecting wildlife, they do not have the means to effectively curtail bushmeat hunting. Weak governance, weak regulations and ambiguous customary rights make it more complicated to address the unsustainable hunting practices.
FSMA Compliance in African Food Supply Chains
Navigating the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance is crucial for businesses operating within African food supply chains. FSMA places a greater emphasis on preventive measures, requiring food facilities to implement comprehensive food safety plans based on hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls. Compliance with FSMA regulations helps food facilities identify and mitigate potential hazards at various stages of the food production process, from farm to fork.
Non-compliance with FSMA regulations can have serious consequences for African food supply chains and the health of consumers. To navigate FSMA compliance effectively, businesses operating in African food supply chains must have a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory requirements outlined in the legislation. This includes familiarizing themselves with key provisions such as preventive controls, hazard analysis, risk-based inspections, and mandatory recall authority.
Before implementing changes to achieve FSMA compliance, businesses should conduct a thorough assessment of their current food safety practices and procedures. Traceability solutions enable businesses to track the movement of food products throughout the supply chain, from farm to fork. By capturing and recording relevant data at each stage of production, processing, and distribution, businesses can establish a clear audit trail of product origins, handling, and distribution. These solutions can integrate with hazard analysis and risk assessment processes to identify and evaluate potential hazards and risks associated with food products.
Traceability solutions enable businesses to implement preventive controls and corrective actions in response to identified hazards or deviations from food safety standards. The solutions facilitate the documentation and management of regulatory compliance requirements specified under FSMA. The landscape of food safety is constantly evolving, driven by factors such as increased food imports, longer supply chains, climate change, and technological advancements.
The African Union’s SPS Policy Framework offers a comprehensive blueprint for a contemporary, unified, and synchronized SPS system.
South Africa's Red Meat Industry
Emerging from humble origins - Karan’s herd totalled less than 100 in 1974 - the firm has expanded to become a fully integrated operation attracting major investment. Previously content to wean cattle for local enthusiasts of the braai - the red-meat dominated South African barbecue - producers like Karan Beef now lead a red meat industry with some R70bn ($4.9bn) a year in turnover and huge export potential.
That embrace of technology is helping South African producers respond to a huge increase in demand for meat across Africa that is expected to stretch well into the future. And yet despite the huge potential of the meat market, the rapid increase in demand poses a series of challenges for Africa’s relatively young and underdeveloped industry.
While industrial-scale producers like Karan offer a compelling vision of the future, the majority of African livestock are raised in very different conditions, often in inefficient, unproductive smallholder environments isolated from markets and abattoirs by limited infrastructure.
The Future of Meat Production in Africa
Given these challenges, Africa will struggle to satisfy its bulging appetite for meat without resorting to expensive imports, according to experts. For Africa’s policymakers, the question will be how to nurture a shift to more efficient modes of production to meet demand and encourage exports while protecting the environment and improving the lot of smallholder farmers.
Climate change-induced desertification, urbanisation, land encroachment and the Boko Haram insurgency have forced herders south of their traditional grazing grounds. These challenges, combined with the historic limitations of nomadic farming - long transit times, theft, limited technology and productivity - have long held back Nigeria’s potential as a major beef producer.
According to Fitch, consumer demand for beef will exceed 450,000 tonnes in 2023, but the domestic industry will only be capable of delivering some 370,000 tonnes. When compared to South Africa - which already produces over 1,000,000 tonnes a year and is expected to consistently remain above that in the years ahead, it seems clear that Nigerian pastoralism has its limits. We need to better map these areas, preserve the pastoral system better, and provide support to them in the context of marketing, rural services and water.
While parts of South Africa’s industry are a case study in the successful implementation of an intensive industry, there is a growing awareness that an industrialised model of agricultural may not be appropriate for other African states, many of whom, like Nigeria, do not have substantial commercial livestock sectors.
Data from seven sub-Saharan African countries in 2014 showed that almost two-thirds of rural households keep livestock, with percentages ranging from 44% in Nigeria to 79% in Niger. In South Africa, where the commercial industry accounts for around 60% of the market, household owners largely struggle to be competitive.
| Region | Meat Production (tonnes) |
|---|---|
| Africa | 22 million |
