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Ten ways to make fresh markets food safe

Special edition No. 1

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 5p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) Healthy food provides us the nutrients and energy to develop and grow, be active and healthy, to move, play, work, think and learn. But food, if not treated with care and respect, can also make us ill. Bacteria, viruses and parasites found in food can cause food poisoning. This is why food safety and hygiene are important. Each year, many Bangladeshis fall ill because of food poisoning. Fresh markets are very popular in Bangladesh, providing a range of essential produce at affordable prices, including fruit and vegetables, seafood, and meat. But poor hygiene practices can cause problems. What can be done to improve this? Fresh markets are an important place to start. A survey by FAO in 2018 shows that over 85 percent of households in Dhaka buy their food from fresh markets, and while the pandemic has impacted their popularity due to safety fears, they retain their appeal. This report shares ten priority measures that will make fresh markets safer places to go shopping and purchase food. They focus on practical and easy-to-implement practices, such as wearing masks, hand washing, and performing regular cleaning and safety checks. The below report shares the key actions to take place, as well as the problems that such actions helps to overcome. Implementing such food safety and hygiene practices makes fresh markets attractive; they transform them from sources of contamination and infection to pleasant public spaces and sources of food security and nutrition. In addition safe and clean markets increase incomes for vendors and brings better health to consumers. 1. Separate vegetable, fish, meat, and grocery stalls to prevent cross contamination 2. Prevent COVID spread by reducing over-crowding and implementing proper mask use 3. Provide filtered, clean water so vegetables, fish, poultry and meat can be well cleaned 4. Require hand washing at the entry of the fresh market and in the meat and fish areas 5. Improve waste management and pest control to ensure market hygiene 6. Ensure that areas where slaughter takes place are completely separated from sales areas 7. Raise awareness for the need for pre-slaughter health examination, post-slaughter inspection, and basic food safety practice in meat shops 8. Make sure drains are clean, covered, sloped, and well maintained 9. Require cold storage for perishable items 10. Develop regular monitoring systems

Language English

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