Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Simple and low-cost interventions can reduce thelevel of pork contamination in traditional markets, which helps solve foodsafety issues, the results of a SafePork 'Market-based approaches to improvingpork safety in Vietnam' project have shown.

SafePORK (2017-2023) is a project funded by the Australian Centre forInternational Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and co-implemented by theInternational Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Vietnam NationalUniversity of Agriculture (VNUA), the Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH),National Institute of Animal Sciences (NIAS) and University of Sydney.

“We are working with other programmes, such as One Health Initiative, to scaleout this positive research outcome for the benefit of more people in otherlocalities in Vietnam,” said Nguyen Viet Hung, co-leader of the ILRI’sAnimal-Human Health Program and leader of the ACIAR’s One Health Initiative.

In the agreement between ACIAR and the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment of Vietnam for 2017-2027, food safety was identified as one of sixpriorities.

“Projects like SafePORK can provide policymakers and the public with scientificevidence that leads to actionable policy options to better manage food safetyin the country,” said Dr Anna Okello, research programme manager for ACIARlivestock systems.

SafePORK seeks to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases in informal, emergingand niche markets.

It developed and evaluated simple interventions for improving food safety whilesafeguarding livelihoods in the Vietnam pork sector.

At the workshop, the SafePORK team shared key findings and cost-effective andpractical interventions to make pork safer along the smallholder pork valuechain.

The interventions targeting traditional retail were effective in reducingmicrobial contamination in pork.

“The SafePORK team implemented simple interventions and developed the capacityto reduce the key pathogen of Salmonella,” said Fred Unger, the regionalrepresentative at ILRI in East and Southeast Asia.

“After the intervention, the prevalence of Salmonella on retailed pork has beendecreased from 52% to 24%,” said Unger.

The team conducted surveys with pork smallholder value chain actors.

Seven key reasons were identified as the leading cause of unsafe pork: poorhygiene, improper preservation and processing techniques, long meattransportation duration, disease, unclear pork origin, and low-quality inputs.

The research team introduced an intervention package to improve hygienicpractices. The package includes separating ready-to-eat pork, raw pork andintestines; and frequently washing surfaces, equipment and vendors’ hands.

An intervention package was also introduced at slaughterhouses.

This includes using stainless-steel grids to prevent carcasses from contactingthe floor, frequent washing of hands and surfaces, and better separating cleanand dirty zones to reduce carcass contamination further.

At the workshop, Shirley Tarawali, director general of ILRI, said thatSafePORK's research and interventions had contributed significantly towardssafer pork in Vietnam while supporting many livelihoods.

These lessons and valuable insights will help achieve safer food systems forthe country, and beyond, he added./.