Assessing Differential Vulnerability to Health Risks Associated With Microbial Contamination of Vegetables

In the Sunyani Municipality, rapid population growth and uncertainties in rainfall have encouraged the use of untreated surface water for irrigating vegetables. However, microbial levels of ready-to-eat vegetables remain untested, and the differences in exposure unexplored. Further, there is a paucity of studies that compare the quality of local and exotic vegetables. A mixed method approach was used to collect and analyse primary data for the study. Forty-one farmers were sampled whilst 24 vegetable samples were used. The results showed on-farm vegetables in the municipality had microbial counts beyond the acceptable World Health Organization (WHO) threshold. Comparatively, the microbial counts of on-farm vegetables in rural and peri-urban locations differed, and the quality of local and exotic vegetables also differed. Also, vulnerability to on-farm microbial contamination differed across space and among producers. It is recommended that vegetable farmers should be educated on the safety of vegetables by the Agricultural Extension Officers in the municipality.