Future of Food: Journal on Food

Economics of food safety practices among cassava processors in northcentral Nigeria

Abraham Falola
Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria
Ridwan Mukaila
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Olaide Halima Olatunji
Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria

Food safety is a critical issue and a growing public health concern. Cassava being one of the staple foods widely consumed by the majority of households in Africa involves several processes. Assessment of the safety practices adopted by the processors is important to assist marketers and consumers towards the product to avoid food poisoning. Thus, this research assessed the economics of food safety practices adopted by cassava processors. Data collected from randomly selected 120 cassava processors were analysed using descriptive statistics, costs and returns analysis, and the Likert-type ranking method. The results show that the majority of the processors were female with an average age of 46.6 years. They sourced food safety processing information through radio, public sanitary officers, extension agents, television and the internet. All the processors always practised the peeling, washing, fermenting, grating and pressing of cassava as safety practises to remove hydrogen cyanide. About 95% always applied the safety practices in sifting and frying while 74% stored their products. The motivating factors of food safety practices adoption by cassava processors were demand-driven, to make profits, health concern of their consumers, to improve efficiency and to reduced wastage. The cassava processors had a net profit of N81,052.33 (USD 195.75), return on capital invested of 0.62, an operating ratio of 0.61 and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.52 per two tonnes of cassava processed. Thus, food safety practice in cassava processing was profitable. Inadequate finance, high cost of cassava tubers, time-consuming, poor access to clean water and lack of modern processing facilities were major constraints to food safety practices in cassava processing. These call for government and NGOs supports to promote food safety practices through proper education of the processors on food safety practices, provision of modern processing facilities and credit facilities.

Keywords : Food safety ,cassava processing ,consumer health ,profitability ,processors .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA