Assessment of Distribution and Handling Procedures of Imported Frozen Fish in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Fish is a highly perishable food and there is dearth of information on quality control along the distribution chain to the final consumer. Therefore quality and handling procedures of imported frozen fish within Oyo state were investigated. The study area was stratified into four Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) zones (Ibadan/Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Saki). All cold store operators (n=67) and 5.0% of registered retailers per zone (n=150) were randomly selected and assessed using 217 structured questionnaires to obtain information on compliance level on temperature management, personal hygiene, facilities’ sanitation and handling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and percentages. Compliance level to quality measures by cold store operators in all the zones were 65.7%, 83.6% and 92.5% for temperature management, personal hygiene and facilities’ sanitation, respectively. Ibadan/Ibarapa zone had the highest cold storage capacity of 7,433 tonnes and the least was Saki zone with 61 tonnes. Transportation of fish to retail points were by motorcycle (43.3%), taxi cab (31.1%) and by head load (24.0%). Fish was displayed by retailers using bowls (50.0%), wooden tables (36.7%) and wooden boards (10.0%). Only 57.3% of retailers washed their tables daily and none used chlorinated water. Most cold stores met the recommended temperature for cold storage.

Keywords: Frozen fish, Fish storage, Cold store operators, Fish retailers