Marketing, handling and physical quality of raw marketed milk in Tanga region of Tanzania

摘要

Milkbeingamajorconstituentofthediet,isahighlyperishablecommodity,vulnerabletospoilageandconsequentlyhealthrisktoconsumersifisnotadequatelyhandledfromproductiontoconsumerchain.ArapidfieldsurveywasconductedbetweenAprilandMay2005onrandomlyselected130households(105smallholderdairyfarmersand25indigenouscattlekeepers)and59MilkMarketingAgents(MMAs)toexploreanddescribemilkproduction,handlingandmarketingpracticesinTangaregionofnorth-easternTanzania.PhysicalqualitiesofrawmilkproducedandmarketedbyMMAswasassessedbyspecificgravity(SG)todeterminethelevelofadulterationandoccurrenceofbrucellosisinbulkmilkwasassessedbyperformingmilkringtest(MRT).Ofthe130households#8217;interviewed,44.6%,32.3%and23.1%wereclassifiedasurban,peri-urbanandruralresidents,respectively.Thestudyrevealedpoormilkinghygienepracticesandthatmilkismarketedthroughacombinationofformalandinformalchannels,withmorethan50%ofthemilkissoldprocessed,mainlyboiled.Directdeliverytoprimarycooperativeandmilkcollectioncentreswasthelargestprimarymilkoutletforproducers,whiledirectdeliverytoconsumerswasthesecondmostcommonoutletsforurbandairyproductionsystem.Ofthe59milksamplescollected,33(56%)wereBrucellaMRT-positiveand78%ofthesamplesgradedsatisfactorilybasedonSGasprescribedbyEastAfricanCommunitystandardsforrawmilk.It#8217;sconcludedthatinordertoenhancesafemilkproduction,handlingandmarketing;implementationofimprovedhygienepracticesandmonitoringatallstepsthroughtrainingandeducationforallkeyplayersfromproductiontoconsumerschainisneededanditshouldbesupportedbyappropriateinstitutionalnbsp;policies,regulationsandimprovementsininfrastructures.nbsp;