Endogenous Hygienic Practices and Health Risk Perception in the Artisanal Production of Attiéké
Abstract
In Côte d’Ivoire, attiéké plays a major role in urban food consumption and in women’s informal food economy. Its artisanal production often takes place under precarious hygienic conditions. Available microbiological studies report recurrent contamination; in some Abidjan markets, more than 90% of samples exceed CODINORM standards. This situation contrasts with local logics of cleanliness and risk management that remain insufficiently connected to formal public health approaches. This article analyses the endogenous hygienic practices associated with artisanal attiéké production and examines how producers perceive and manage the health risks related to their activity. The study is based on a qualitative secondary analysis of 14 scientific publications produced between 2004 and 2024, compiled from academic and institutional databases and examined through cross-thematic analysis. The results show that drying and packaging are the main critical contamination points, that cleanliness is defined through visible and sensory criteria rather than microbiological standards, and that immediate economic constraints relegate health risk to a secondary position. These findings argue for a participatory governance approach grounded in the endogenous logics of producers.
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