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Case Study
Local group helps consumers advocate for food safety
Consumers Demand Food Safety
Photo: USAID/Dina Cernobregu Butchers like this one in downtown Pristina are now selling meat that is guaranteed safe to eat.
“Activities like these changed the concept of the government being considered untouchable or influenced only through the party line, by elections or demonstrations,” said Kreshnik Berisha, a USAID partner.
Challenge
Ensuring safe standards for meat handling is critical to consumer health, but Kosovo has lacked food safety regulations in this area for many years. The problem needed to be brought to the attention of elected officials in an effective way — through an organized campaign by citizens to pressure the government for change.
Initiative
With help from USAID, a local organization called the Kosovo Development Center (KDC) launched this campaign. The goal was to stop risky meat processing techniques by first educating consumers and then lobbying the government for safer meat handling standards. USAID sponsored training for KDC staff on how to teach consumers about the risks associated with unlicensed slaughterhouses and improper meat handling. The staff also learned about mechanisms to halt unlicensed slaughtering and unsafe handling. KDC then developed an advocacy plan that called for educating consumers about the problem and, once they understood the problem, helping consumers call on local government officials to pass stricter safety regulations.
Results
The campaign was successful. Local officials passed a municipal regulation requiring stricter meat handling procedures. But the initiative’s benefits extended beyond guaranteeing safe meat for consumers — citizens actively lobbied the government and realized how they could hold elected officials responsible.
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