Cost-effectiveness on sanitary interventions to improve Dibiteries safety in Dakar, Senegal

Objectives: In Senegal, the phenomenon of street food is growing with informal restaurant called ‘dibiteries’ offering braised meat to consumers. The aim is to design a low cost and beneficial hygiene intervention for the dibiteries business. Methods: Thirty random samples of braised meat were taken one month before the trial (step 1), one month (step 2) and one year after the trial (step 3). The trial consisted of three groups: group 1 (control) received no intervention, group 2 received only well-defined equipment and consumables and group 3 received a standardised training module as well as hygiene package. All samples taken were analysed in laboratory. Results: Overall, the microbial quality of the braised meat samples improved along the intervention steps. Moreover, the same downward trend is observed at groups level, regardless of the step considered. However, Groups 2 and 3 did not significantly improve the microbial quality. The cost of hygiene improvement and cost of intervention were low ($0.07/day/dibiterie and $0.010/day). Conclusion: Despite the perceived low cost of intervention, the innovations promoted had a low effectiveness on improving the quality of meat. The adoption of an intervention package is linked to institutional arrangement that provides sustainable conditions for investments. Other adoption factors linked to behaviour need further investigation.