Defining the Flow and Food Safety Behaviors of Actors in the Cambodian Vegetable Value Chain

Describing capability, opportunity, and motivation for food safety practices among actors in the Cambodian informal vegetable market

“…The questionnaire was implemented with vegetable farmers, vegetable distributors, and vegetable vendors involved in the informal vegetable market in the provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap during November of 2021. These participant groups were specifically targeted for inclusion in this research as they represented the primary groups involved in the informal vegetable market in Cambodia (Sokhen et al, 2004;Desiree et al, 2020). The provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap were chosen as the geographic focus of the final data collection events because both of these provinces are a part of the current USAID Feed the Future Zone of Influence in Cambodia (United States Agency for International Development, 2014).…”

“…The informal vegetable market in Cambodia is similar to informal markets found in countries throughout the world in that it is largely unregulated in terms of governmental monitoring or fee collection (e.g., taxing) and exists in parallel with the formal vegetable market. In Cambodia, the informal vegetable market is composed of a loose network of vegetable farmers, collectors, distributors, and vendors (Sokhen et al, 2004;Desiree et al, 2020).…”

“…There are typically few to no food safety standards enforced on the farms where vegetables are produced or in the open-air wet markets where vegetables are sold, and poor sanitary conditions are common in both environments (Sokhen et al, 2004;Desiree et al, 2020). In addition, previous research found that raw vegetables and vegetable contact surfaces in open-air wet markets in Cambodia are commonly contaminated with bacterial pathogens (Phoeurk et al, 2019;Desiree et al, 2021;Schwan et al, 2021).…”

“…These findings indicate that current food safety practices in these markets are not sufficient to mitigate the foodborne disease risks associated with the consumption of raw vegetables. Some of the key food safety gaps in the informal vegetable market supply chain noted by Desiree et al (2020) included improper manure composting and application, use of poor quality water to irrigate or wash vegetables, failure to regularly sanitize vehicles prior to vegetable transport, scarcity of cold storage, lack of improved sanitation (e.g., toilets, handwashing stations), and the comingling of fresh produce with raw animalsourced foods, among others. Chemical contamination of food is also of concern in Cambodia, and both chemical and microbial contamination have been linked with foodborne disease outbreaks in recent years (Thompson et al, 2021).…”

“…Considering that substantial food safety gaps exist in informal produce markets in Cambodia and that several studies have confirmed the presence of pathogens on vegetables in these markets (Sokhen et al, 2004;Phoeurk et al, 2019;Desiree et al, 2020Desiree et al, , 2021Schwan et al, 2021), it is clear that consuming fresh vegetables puts Cambodians at risk of contracting foodborne illnesses such as diarrhea. Given that the intestinal disruptions caused by foodborne illnesses often result in nutrient malabsorption, it then follows that foodborne illness contracted due to consuming vegetables may negate the nutritional benefits of fresh vegetable consumption.…”