Data_Sheet_1_The governance of quality and safety in Tanzania's informal milk markets.PDF

Despite significant economic and social transformation in Tanzania, 95% of the milk produced in Tanzania is marketed informally. Most of this is commercialized raw (unpasteurized) and distributed and sold through informal traders and vendors to low-income consumers, making it an important source of nutrition and livelihoods. While Tanzania's official dairy policy promotes pasteurization and formal industry, in practice the regulatory environment is relatively permissive of informal raw milk trade. We draw on original data from a survey with over 200 informal market actors, and insights from key informant interviews, to examine the context, perceptions and practices that affect quality and safety in the informal milk market in Tanzania. Our insights contribute to the potential for a more realistic and effective engagement with the informal sector, in Tanzania and beyond. Our results show that all informal market actors are concerned with milk quality and safety and take measures to mitigate risk. Loyalty and repeated interactions between buyers and sellers contribute to ensuring milk quality and safety in the absence of formal mechanisms such as testing. Despite this there is room for improvement. Informal actors expressed interest in training and finance to upgrade their premises and equipment and would also like to see improved communication with policymakers. Any future policy interventions should build on the indigenous practices being used by informal actors that already contribute to risk management. Efforts to better understand the informal sector and address the broader challenge of the lack of voice and representation of the informal sector in policy making in Tanzania are needed.

尽管坦桑尼亚经历了显著的经济与社会转型，但其国内生产的牛奶中仍有95%通过非正规渠道进行流通。其中绝大多数为未经巴氏杀菌（pasteurization）的商业化生鲜原奶，通过非正规商贩与供应商分销售卖至低收入消费者群体，成为当地重要的营养来源与生计依托。尽管坦桑尼亚官方乳制品政策倡导巴氏杀菌与正规产业发展，但实际监管环境对非正规生鲜原奶贸易相对宽松。本研究依托针对200余名非正规市场参与者的原创调研数据，以及关键知情人访谈（key informant interviews）的洞察，旨在剖析影响坦桑尼亚非正规牛奶市场质量与安全的背景因素、认知观念与实践行为。本研究的发现可为坦桑尼亚乃至全球范围内与非正规部门（informal sector）开展更务实高效的合作提供参考。研究结果显示，所有非正规市场参与者均关注牛奶的质量与安全，并采取措施降低经营风险。在缺乏检测等正规保障机制的情况下，买卖双方的信任关系与重复交易行为有助于保障牛奶的质量与安全。尽管如此，该领域仍存在改进空间。非正规市场参与者表示，希望获得用于升级经营场所与设备的培训与资金支持，同时也希望加强与政策制定者的沟通交流。未来任何政策干预（policy interventions）措施都应基于非正规市场参与者已用于风险管理的本土实践。此外，还需进一步加深对非正规部门的了解，并解决坦桑尼亚政策制定过程中非正规部门缺乏话语权与代表性这一深层次挑战。