Understanding food safety in informal markets
“My research highlights the close connection between animal and human health and offers valuable information to help estimate risks, design practical solutions, and guide policies to better protect public health”, says Maureen Kuboka, new PhD at the Department of Animal Biosciences.
Who are you? Could you give a short presentation of yourself and your research area?
“My name is Maureen Kuboka. My academic background is in food science, and I have specialised in food safety systems (ensuring that food consumed by humans is safe and will not cause disease). My PhD research focused on understanding food safety in informal markets, which are common, open-air markets that sell food to the majority of the population in East Africa.”
How does your research align with the One Health concept?
“My research examined the safety of foods sold in informal markets across East Africa and the risk they may pose to people’s health due to harmful bacteria. I also interviewed traders, consumers, and other key people in the food system to understand their views on food safety and possible solutions for informal markets.”
“Through this work, we provided evidence of contamination of foods with bacteria which are transmissible between animals and humans, and identified key factors that increase the risk of contamination. This research highlights the close connection between animal and human health and offers valuable information to help estimate risks, design practical solutions, and guide policies to better protect public health.”
What are your plans after your PhD?
“I am interested in continuing the work I began during my PhD within the fields of food safety and One Health. Specifically, I aim to deepen my understanding of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance in food systems, as well as to evaluate the burden of foodborne diseases to inform policy prioritisation.”
Links
Read Maureen Kubokas PhD thesis here: Food safety in informal markets | SLU publication database (SLUpub)