Food Protection Trends - May/June 2022 - 251

poverty, decrease food waste, create employment, increase
the local economy, and improve food security (11-14).
The aim of the program developed by the Cameroon
Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy
and Handicrafts (13) is to create 150 food processing SMEs,
3,500 jobs, and assist 6,750 farmers and wild food procurers
to sell products to SMEs, with the aim of increasing the
revenue by 50%. The program supports new and existing
SMEs food processors by providing training, finance, and
access to technology (13).
One of the programs developed by the Cameroon Ministry
of Agriculture (19) is aimed at young people aged 18 to
35, living in rural Cameroon. Approximately 61% of the
Cameroonian population lives in rural Cameroon, of which
78% are under 34 years of age. The majority of young people
lack qualifications, thus limiting employability and economic
prospects. The program supports young people to acquire
the skills needed to start agrifood businesses, including food
processing businesses. The program aims to support the
creation of 5,400 agrifood businesses (19).
The second program that was developed by the Cameroon
Ministry of Agriculture (11), specifically focuses on adding
value to four primary food products that are widely grown
in Cameroon by developing the value chain of pineapples,
plantains, bananas, and palm oil from production to processing.
One area of the program is to support the training
of 1,500 young people (40% young women), with the aim of
developing 600 new agrifood SMEs, including food processing
businesses (11).
A common thread for the three Cameroonian programs
(11, 13, 19) is that they are targeting women and young
people. Women are the best placed to start food processing
businesses due to the prevalence in food production (15, 46),
and they often use the skills and tools of domestic cooking at
the start, a task that is in the traditional domain of women in
Cameroon (11, 13, 19). Young people are targeted to provide
vocational training relevant to the rural economy to assist
with its development (11, 13, 19).
Potential impact of the Cameroon government
programs on food safety
If these three ministerial programs meet their objectives,
thousands of new food processing SMEs will be created in
Cameroon. Note that insignificant mention is made in the
programs of food safety or food safety training. Mention
is made in one of the programs that initiatives to improve
food safety practices are embryonic (19), but there is no
mention of the development of these initiatives or what food
safety training and support will be provided to the new food
processing businesses.
To protect the health of consumers from foodborne
illnesses, adherence to food safety practices by food
processing businesses is vital. Foodborne illnesses cause
substantial health problems and economic burdens.
Approximately 91 million people per annum in Africa, with
the majority reported to be in sub-Saharan Africa, become ill
due to foodborne diseases, the world's highest per capita rate
(50). The majority of investment in food safety focuses on
producers for the export markets, instead of producing food
safely for the domestic consumer (23).
It was noted in one of the programs that food processing
businesses are likely to start in domestic kitchens (19);
however, it is widely accepted that a substantial number
of sporadic foodborne illnesses are associated with food
prepared in the home (6, 10, 42). Figures for Africa are
not known; nevertheless, it is suggested that the majority
(87%) of sporadic foodborne illnesses in Europe, Australia,
New Zealand, and North America are associated with food
prepared or consumed in the home, and it is likely that the
figure is greater due to underreporting (42).
Several factors contribute to the incidence of foodborne
illness, including inappropriate temperature for storage,
cooking, and or reheating, improper handling, crosscontamination,
and inadequate cleaning of areas in the
kitchen (10, 20, 42). Food processing in the home kitchen
(e.g., canning of meats, fruit, and vegetables) is also a cause of
foodborne illnesses (20).
Food safety risks associated with the domestic kitchen
may be exacerbated in sub-Saharan Africa by the lack of
refrigeration, constant electrical supply, inadequate sanitation
and water, and high ambient temperatures (29). Cameroon
has constant power outages, and access to electricity is
estimated at 14% in rural areas and 65 to 88% in urban areas
(36). Previous research indicates that power outages result
in high temperature levels in domestic refrigerators that may
have an impact on food safety (28). Given the prevalence
of foodborne disease in sub-Saharan Africa and that most
foodborne illness is associated with the home, one may
question if the assumption to support the creation of SMEs
operating in domestic kitchens without food safety training
and support is sound.
Gaining an understanding of the traditional and baseline
food safety skills that women have may help identify targeted
support to be given to women to increase awareness and the
appropriate skills to produce food safely. Some studies report
that women have better food safety knowledge than men;
however, such studies assert that more research is needed to
explore the role gender plays in food safety behavior (22, 27).
As there is a focus on supporting young people living in
rural Cameroon to create SMEs (19), many of whom have no
qualifications and have low levels of education, no mention
of food safety support to meet the challenges of a cohort with
low levels of education was included in the programs. This
could have an impact on food safety, given the association
between low levels of education and food safety knowledge
(1); further investigation among young food handlers in rural
Cameroon is needed.
May/June Food Protection Trends 251
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