Nairobi, Kenya — An estimated 70 percent of Africa's urban households buy food from informal sources, such as street vendors, kiosks, and traditional market sellers, recent studies have found.
Silvia Alonso, an epidemiologist at the institute, said improving food safety in the informal markets will help improve the health of the people and the countries' economies. Contaminated foods cause at least 91 million illnesses and 137,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.
"I only knew how it was about boiling the milk, not about the hygiene of the milk," said Chepkemoi."So after I went to the training with the ILRI, I now wash the cans with warm water, and I put the can outside to dry in the sun. After that, I pour the milk inside." African governments have destroyed and confiscated food items in the markets to deal with outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Experts say such forcible shutdowns are counterproductive.