Search Results (2)

Understanding tourists’ perceptions and appreciation of traditional food products (TFPs) is crucial for developing effective marketing and development strategies for poor economies with tourism potential, such as Cambodia. Lots of TFPs are derived from underutilised plant species, which are generally undervalued in economic terms. The aim of the study was to analyse tourists’ familiarity with both conventional (i.e., wider known and used) and underutilised Cambodian TFPs. A total of 1271 international tourists were interviewed in the country’s three most visited regions. A pairwise matrix was used to document tourists’ preferences, χ² test to determine associations between respondents’ preferences and socio-demographic characteristics, a bivariate probit model to examine factors influencing these attitudes, and an ordered probit model to analyse factors influencing willingness-to-pay for TFPs. A total of 923 respondents (72.6%) were familiar with at least one TFP. Kampot pepper, palm sugar and Rumduol rice were the best-known conventional TFPs, while Maprang, Kramsang and Ma-om were the better-known underutilised TFPs. Willingness-to-buy a TFP increased with prior knowledge of and familiarity with TFPs, education, religion and available budget. Low awareness, a short stay in Cambodia and possible health problems associated with their use were the main barriers to trying a TFP. Greater awareness, better organised distribution, improved packaging and labelling will be needed to increase TFP success among tourists, especially of those defined as underutilised. Full article

Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the most common foodborne bacteria in animal-source foods (ASF) that cause illness worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus in chicken meat and pork in markets in Cambodia. Sampling was done in 52 traditional markets and 6 supermarkets in 25 provinces of Cambodia between October 2018 and August 2019. In total, 532 samples were obtained: chicken meat and pork (n = 408, 204 of each), chicken and pork cutting board swabs (n = 124, 62 of each). All samples were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus; colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) of coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CPS) were counted, and a subset of samples was also analyzed for the most probable number (MPN, n = 136) of Salmonella. The overall prevalence of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus were 42.1% (224/532) and 29.1% (155/532), respectively, with 14.7% (78/532) of samples containing both bacteria. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in chicken meat was 42.6%, on chicken cutting board it was 41.9%, on pork it was 45.1%, and the pork cutting board 30.6%. Chicken meat had a significantly (p-value < 0.05) higher prevalence of S. aureus, 38.2%, compared to the chicken cutting board, 17.7%, pork 28.9%, and pork cutting board 11.3%. Mean MPN-Salmonella was 10.6 MPN/g in chicken and 11.1 MPN/g in pork samples. Average Log CFU/g of CPS in chicken and pork samples were 2.6 and 2.5, respectively. The results indicate that chicken meat and pork in Cambodia were highly contaminated with Salmonella spp. and S. aureus, posing risks to consumers’ health. Urgent interventions are necessary to improve hygiene for safer meat in Cambodian markets. Full article