Compliance to Post-Harvest Handling Practices of Beef along the Beef Value Chain in Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Beef handling from slaughter to butchery if not compliant with standard operating requirements may lead to contamination by spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms originating from equipment, surfaces, personnel, water and environment. This mostly depends on level of hygiene. Beef handlers have limited public health education on safe handling, poor meat handling facilities and low enforcement of hygiene rules along the value chain. Sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) in cleaning of equipment/tools and facilities for handling beef were not adhered to from slaughter houses through to butcheries. Objective: The study was conducted to assess whether the post-harvest beef handling practices and actors involved follow set standards in the beef value chain. Method: A cross sectional survey covering 601 actors (abattoirs =105, transporters =141 and butcheries =355) in the beef value chain including slaughter house operators, beef transporters and butchers (at beef selling points) was undertaken. Data was collected from June 2017 to January 2018 using a face to face questionnaire as well as observation of handling practices among the various actors in the districts of Mbarara, Kampala and Mbale. Data was analyzed using statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. Results: Most (96.6%) of abattoirs (slaughter houses) were not built to standard specification requirements for example they lacked side facilities like cold rooms, room for offal processing and waste disposal sites. In slaughter slabs, the water used is not treated though about 87.6% of workers at the abattoirs wear gumboots and only 34.3% wear protective clothing. The tools like knives, machete and axes are commonly shared among actors. Cleaning of the surfaces of slaughter slabs/houses is mainly done with water only (60%) compared to use of both water and soap (40%). Transportation is mainly by motorcycles (54.6%). At the butchery, only 22.2% of workers wear protective clothing but 87.6% of them wear gumboots. Meat transfer from the carrier to the butchery is by personnel using bare hands or on shoulders. Some places called butcheries are under tree branches where the meat is hanging airborne. Conclusion: The handling practices among different actors after slaughter (post-harvest) were below the required hygienic standards set by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) at slaughter houses, butcheries, and beef transporters.