Why do wet markets matter ?
A “wet
market” is a public marketplace where fresh produce, meat and fish are sold.
The term “wet market” has often been interchanged with “wildlife market”, where
caged wild species are kept and sold as food delicacies and for their medicinal
properties.
Since the
COVID-19 virus outbreak, much information and misinformation has been
circulated about wet markets and an international rallying cry has been made
for wet markets to be better regulated or even closed down. Fresh produce
markets often play an important role in improved diets for poor rural
communities and are often an essential venue for small-scale farmers to sell
their agricultural products directly to consumers.
Over the
last months, as much of the world has been in lockdown more thought has been
given to the origins of the new coronavirus and how it has managed to spread so
quickly. One leading theory is that the virus “jumped” from a bat to a pangolin
or other wild animal which in turn was sold in a wet market in Wuhan, China.
Similar theories have been reported in the past on the origin of Ebola and
other outbreaks including HIV-AIDS. Epidemiologists note patterns that are
emerging: a rapidly growing population encroaching on forests and other natural
habitats; farm animals and humans coming into closer contact with wildlife; and
intensive livestock systems, in which many animals inhabit small area,
favouring the fast spread of disease.
©IFAD/GMB Akash |
Wet
markets are an important source of food for rural people, especially the poor.
In wet markets, a wide variety of fresh and nutritious food can be purchased at
affordable prices. The food is mainly sourced from local farmers. In Vietnam,
and probably in many other countries, rural people and poor urban people
consider “freshness” as a valued feature as it is also associated with the food
being of high quality and safe to eat. Meat, in particular, is of higher value
if it is “warm” as it means the animal has been slaughtered on site in the
early morning hours.
Moreover,
wet markets offer a higher diversity of fruits, grains and vegetables as
compared to supermarkets. This is because the food is local while supermarkets
procure from large wholesale markets and focus on a limited number of products,
which they purchase in high quantities and place in cold storage.
What about hygiene and food safety?
Certainly,
one problem of wet markets is maintaining hygiene and food safety standards.
Often animals are slaughtered in the market itself and near the common areas
where the public also shops. This may mean that the meat is being kept in poor
hygienic conditions. There are often no cooling facilities and a lack of
appropriate equipment including clean knives and cutting surfaces. The
treatment of effluents from animal slaughter bears a significant hygienic risk
to the environment and human health.
Hygiene in
markets is essential. Traditional wet markets must commit to serve their
customers safe and fresh food from local producers. IFAD has invested in
improving rural markets. Very successful examples can be visited in Bangladesh,
where the MIDPCR and CCRIP projects improved the market infrastructure and
enhanced the hygiene standards. Infrastructure alone is not sufficient.
Policies and standards must be issued and implemented to warrant the existence
of wet markets as safe food providers for the rural people and the poor.
Are supermarkets and wet markets in competition?
In urban
areas, wet markets and supermarkets co-exist, while in rural areas, wet markets
are often the sole source of food supply. Both market types have advantages.
Supermarkets implement better hygienic standards and can track the sources of
their supplies in case something goes wrong. However, not all customers trust
the freshness labels in supermarkets. These customers prefer the vendors in the
wet market whom they know and trust, often over several years. Prices are
usually lower in wet markets too. Hence, it is easier for poor people to afford
fresh and nutritious food. In remote rural areas of developing countries,
alternatives to wet markets such as supermarkets simply do not exist.
There is
no need to close wet markets but we do need to make them safe, employing the
appropriate infrastructure and equipment, and implementing hygiene and
environmental standards and policies. A very important law would certainly be
to forbid the hunting and trading of wild animals.
Poor
people need to have access to affordable and nutritious food. In the rural
areas of developing countries, wet markets are often the only place where
people can afford to purchase nutritious food. Local farmers, especially women,
are dependent on selling their produce in local markets. Families need this
income to pay for clothing and school fees of their kids, cover medical
expenses and other essential items. Though closing wet markets is not a
solution, prioritising health and safety standards in rural markets is a good
place to start.
AGM
Source
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