Characterization of the Sanitary Condition of Sales Points for Garba Fried Tuna and Braised Fish Tilapia in Abidjan’s District

Food-borne infections are a major public health problem worldwide. In Côte d'Ivoire, street food remains a major problem due to the deterioration in its quality and failure to comply with hygiene conditions. This descriptive epidemiological study was initiated to assess the health conditions of tuna (Garba) and braised fish sales points in the district of Abidjan. Systematic sampling was carried out in the various tuna (garba) and braised fish sales points in the district of Abidjan. The sampling sites were chosen according to the division of the district of Abidjan into enumeration zones by the national statistics institute. Sampling was carried out over the period from March to August 2021. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire that had been designed in advance and digitized on the ODK application. Only accessible sales points with sales staff available to answer the questionnaire were selected. Descriptive statistics were produced using R.2.0 software. 194 sales points (95 tuna sales points and 99 tilapia sales points), grouped into 5 zones, were selected from the 40 enumeration zones of the 11 municipalities in the Abidjan district. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sellers, cooking techniques used for various species of fish and a qualitative assessment of the health of the sales points were determined. Overall, the marketing of tuna (garba) and braised fish in the Abidjan district shows a high level of precariousness and a lack of hygiene, which could be the cause of microbiological contamination of these foods sold to the Abidjan’s population.