Milk hygiene and consumption practices in the Gambia

Abstract Raw milk is a common component of agropastoralist diet in The Gambia. Characterization of raw milk consumption and handling practices in the country is limited, as is knowledge of bacterial contamination of raw milk sold by herdsmen or at informal markets, which may impact food safety and consumer health. We conducted a two part study in Gambia to comprehensively address these research gaps. In Study A, mixed interviews were conducted with herdsmen (n = 12) and market vendors (n = 31) in order to characterize milk intake and handling. The results showed that raw milk is a regular component of the diet of herdsmen, vendors, and their young children, with 25% of herdsmen and 41.9% of vendors introducing raw milk into their infant's diet before 3 months of age. Only 7.0% of interviewees were observed cleaning milk vessels before use, and 93% stored milk only in ambient temperatures. Study B documented visible impurities (e.g., hair, dirt, insects) and assessed the presence of potentially pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae in raw cow's milk (n = 53) from farms and informal markets upon collection (t = 0) and after 24 h (t = 24) in ambient temperature, which reflects local storage conditions. Visible impurities were present in 58.5% of milk samples. Enterobacteriaceae concentrations were >10 4  CFU/mL in 92.5% and 96% of t = 0 and t = 24 milk samples respectively, and were therefore considered unsafe for human consumption. This research concludes that raw milk, especially as a weaning food in this region, requires greater attention as the prevalence of contamination threatens food safety for infants and other consumers.