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The purpose of this paper is to assess food safety knowledge, choice behavior and health hazard concerns of ethnic Goan pork sausage consumers through various consumer food safety indices and also to evaluate socio-demographic influences on various consumer food safety indices.

Primary data in the form of 210 questionnaire responses were collected from Goan pork sausage consumers. Based on the responses, seven various consumer food safety indices were derived. The cumulative score of all the indices were normalized (0–1). The association between socio-demographic variables and consumer indices were evaluated using linear regression analysis, Pearson's correlation matrix, principal component analysis (PCA) and correspondence analysis (CA).

The results of the analysis indicate that the consumption of Goan pork sausages is most prevalent amongst younger people with high education having higher income. A majority of consumers have high score for the four consumer indices. The results of correlation analysis, regression analysis, PCA and CA revealed a significant association of consumer indices with socio-demographic variables.

The results of this study will provide a way forward for the evaluation of existing overall food safety concerns in the target population and in the future would be used for the promotion of good handling practices and health of Goan pork sausage consumers.

The prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV in a representative sample of the Armenian male adult prison population has been determined and prisoners and staff were anonymously asked on risk behaviours (542 prisoners) and on knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards infectious diseases (348 staff members) Prisoners’ knowledge about the sources of transmission of HIV is quite poor, most of the wrong answers relate to activities in the daily prison life. The acceptance of HIV‐infected inmates tends towards extremely negative attitudes. The reported rate of intravenous drug use was 13.3%, and 51% among those are current injectors. Of the ‘ever injectors’, between 15% and 30% reported high‐risk behaviour. Of particular interest was the fact that the self‐reported HIV test results did not correlate at all with the results of the saliva tests. In the study the prevalence of HIV was 2.4%, a rate which is 27 times higher than in the general population. The prevalence rate for hepatitis B among prisoners is 3.7% and for hepatitis C 23.8%. The most important risk factor for contracting an HCV infection was drug use and the second, time spent in prison within the last 10 years, which is an independent risk factor. A substantial number of prison employees perceive their working condition as risky and themselves as at risk for TB, hepatitis B/C or HIV, but large groups had no idea about infection rates. Regarding HIV and hepatitis, knowledge is poor and patchy. While staff show quite good knowledge regarding the main transmission routes via blood and unprotected sex, a low level of knowledge becomes obvious when considering everyday‐life situations, which may cause fears in such a closed setting like prison. Standards including confidentiality and non‐segregation are not accepted in respect of HIV positive prisoners. Here, attitudes range between ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’, which might express uncertainty and insecurity about the risks HIV‐positive persons carry. The provision of sterile needles for tattooing and sterile syringes and needles for injecting drugs users to prevent the spread of infectious diseases are not agreed by the majority of prison staff.

The purpose of this paper is to review the nature and extent of foodborne diseases in India due to chemical and microbial agents.

The scientific investigations/reports on outbreak of foodborne diseases in India for the past 29 (1980‐2009) years due to adulteration, chemical, and microbiological contamination have been reviewed. Reported scientific information on foodborne pathogens detected and quantified in Indian foods has also been reviewed.

A total of 37 outbreaks involving 3,485 persons who have been affected due to food poisoning have been reported in India. Although the common forms of foodborne diseases are those due to bacterial contamination of foods, however, higher numbers of deaths have been observed due to chemical contaminants in foods.

A national foodborne disease surveillance system needs to be developed in India in order to enable effective detection, control and prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks.

This paper seeks to cast light on the issues impacting South African food research. During the first decade of democracy the South African research and development sector has experienced many changes and although the aim of these changes was to bring about efficiency, the research and development (R&D) fraternity is still faced with various challenges in its endeavours to meet the demands from commerce and industry. As a result of continuously changing market demands the food and drink industry has become one of the main sectors that are dependant on novel technologies developed by the R&D sector.

An overview of the broader South African research landscape is given followed by a closer look at the nature and extent of local food‐related research.

In order to meet the demand of industry a new mindset is required amongst research institutions towards providing an array of scientific services that extend intra‐ and inter‐disciplinary boundaries and where long‐term partnerships between food industries and the R&D sector are forged. However, against this backdrop South Africa's national research priorities are increasingly directed towards poverty alleviation and development. Human resources in science and technology have not been developed adequately, which in turn has resulted in an aging and declining scientific population. Thus, a balancing act is needed in order to address the scant human resources while at the same time effectively bridging the innovation chasm. This predicament extends to food researchers who find themselves amidst a well developed and technologically advanced formal industry while at the same time having to address issues relating to a relatively primitive yet lucrative informal food sector.

The paper presents novel information regarding South African food research and places it in context against the broader research landscape.

This paper explores “lessons learned” resulting from a process evaluation of a peer‐led HIV/AIDS prevention programme targeting street children and youth in urban Uganda. The purpose was to explore aspects of implementation that either enhanced or hindered the effectiveness of the peer educator (PE) role.

The process data derive from three reviews conducted throughout the project lifespan. The reviews engaged participatory evaluation methods such as focus groups (four) and workshops (three), as well as drawing on monitoring data such as activity evaluations.

The street youth in this project made effective peer educators. We suggest that letting the target group choose their peers and focusing on street youth undergoing rehabilitation engendered ownership of PEs by the target group and accountability among PEs themselves. The role was highly coveted and the PEs became powerful role models. The most useful work of the PEs lay in helping their peers to leave the risky environment of the streets, hence reducing their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. By defining the role broadly and situating peer education activities within a broader strategy of capacity building and advocacy, we were able to remain sensitive to the context in which street youth make “choices” about their sexual behaviour.

This paper contributes significantly to our understanding of the effective implementation of the PE method in this setting. It will be particularly helpful to practitioners in the design stage of similar peer‐led programmes.

The present study aims to understand small retailers' current use of various low-cost technologies and the factors responsible for small retailers' adoption. Furthermore, these factors of adoption were mapped back to beliefs within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and an attempt was made to understand if some of the beliefs dominated over the others and their implications.

The study takes a qualitative approach comprising in-depth semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The qualitative data were analysed through a thematic analysis to identify technology adoption factors.

Amongst the various technologies (mobile apps), payment and procurement apps were the most widely used. The authors identified eight factors influencing technology adoption: the top being customer demand for payment apps and convenience and cost-saving for procurement apps. The study also highlights the role of the dominant beliefs in technology adoption, which managers could use to improve adoption rates.

The current study is a cross-sectional study and the sample was predominantly of grocery retailers, limiting the generalisability of the results.

Small retailers face stiff competition from organised retail and e-commerce platforms which threatens small retailers' existence. Small retailers' survival is vital as many people depend on the small retail sector for livelihood. Increased use of technology seems the only way for them to stay competitive and increase profitability. The study's outcome could help increase technology adoption amongst small retailers and increase small retailers' competitiveness.

Despite the widespread presence of small retailers in emerging economies, few studies have examined technology adoption amongst them. This study is also the first to use the TPB theory in the small retailer technology adoption context.

To assess knowledge, perceptions and practices of grassroots‐level food safety regulators.

Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) study using quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. Quantitative data was collected using a pre‐tested knowledge assessment questionnaire. Qualitative data was collected by conducting a focus group discussion (FGD) and six in‐depth interviews among food safety regulators from all 23 districts of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS package (version 14.5). The FGD and in‐depth interviews' recordings were transcribed verbatim and translated into English before compiling them into individual reports. These reports were read independently by a group of researchers before inferences were drawn.

The respondents' knowledge on basic food microbiology was limited. They attributed their inability to monitor all cases of food poisoning/adulteration to delay in receiving information and lack of laboratory facilities. They had sound knowledge of conventional adulterations, but were not equipped to check newer adulterations. Their knowledge on health/nutrition claims on food labels is almost nil. Orientation towards food safety issues other than adulteration is the need of the hour.

The results of the study can serve as the basis for developing an in‐service training module for food safety regulators.