January ,2026 ; MEKELLE
Dr. Mekonnen Haileslassie researcher at Tigray Health Research Institute presented a paper entitled, ” Drivers and approaches to food safety challenges in Tigray- Ethiopia’s perishable food value chains. In his presentation, he discussed the following points:-
Drivers of food safety Challenges
-Fragmented regulation and weak enforcement
-Infrastructure deficits
-Traditional practices and consumption habits
-low awareness and Hygiene skills
-Environmental & Agricultural contamination
-Economic drivers
To combat the above mentioned Challenges, Ethiopia is moving toward a more coordinated” farm-to- table” approaches these are:-
Prepared National Food Safety Master Plan (2025–2029):
“One Health” Approach: Implementation of multi-stakeholder initiatives (involving researchers, regulators, and farmers) to identify and prioritize critical control points, particularly in dairy and meat, to reduce the estimated USD 723 million annual economic burden of foodborne diseases.
The “Pull-push” Technical Training & Infrastructure Investment:
Customized Regulation for Informal Markets:
Strengthening Laboratories: Upgrading national laboratory capacity for testing for mycotoxins (e.g., aflatoxin in maize) and other pathogens.
During the session, discussions were held in which participating researchers shared their views and ideas. The participants were researchers from the Tigray Health Research Institute, Mekelle University, the Tigray Regional Health Bureau, and other stakeholders.
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Tigray Health Research Institute