ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FOOD SAFETY AMONG PORK MARKETERS

Abstract: Pig is one of the domestic animals found in Nigeria and most parts of West Africa.  Pigs are reared for the production of meat called pork and fat called lard.  The pig produces litters twice a year.  One litter or one birth give between eight (8) and sixteen (16) piglets.  They also eat anything that is edible when given. Although, the rearing of pig and its consumption is not popular in Moslems areas in Nigeria because of the religion.  Some people look at pigs as dirty animal usually found in muddy water, the meat is also believed to be responsible for the carrying of tapeworm, to human beings.  This is probably responsible for some people prefer meat from other animal to pig meat. The breeds of pigs now reared in Nigeria include those that are native to Nigeria and the one brought from other countries such as Britain and United States of America. In this study, our focus was  on economic analysis of food safety among pork marketers, Enugu State as case study. The study is was specifically focused on examining the the socio-economic characteristics of the pork marketers; identifying safety practices adopted by pork seller in  the study area to guarantee consumers safety; estimating the determinant of pork meat consumer safety in the study area. The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 65 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are pork marketers, Enugu State.