Traditional African Meat Products for Food Security

The book provides an overview of the
livestock and meat resources as well as the traditional
African cuisines characteristic of the five divisions of
the continent: Central, East, North, Southern and West
Africa, respectively. Analysis of animal products (meat,
milk, eggs and fish); their production, consumption levels
and/or pattern of consumption relative to the various
countries; clearly shows a dwindling per caput/year intake
of meat in the continent at 12.9kg, 11.8kg and 10.8kg for
1979, 1986 and 2000, respectively. The book posits that the
gaps between rising demand for meat and the relative poor
supply situation can only be effectively reduced though
intensified efforts to ensure accelerated growth in
livestock production and the effective application of
research and relevant low cost meat preservation
technologies.The failure of modern meat processing and
preservation technologies (refrigeration, canning,
dehydration and curing) to make much impact on the meat
supply situation in the continent has thus created
opportunities and development challenges for the relevance
of traditional meat products.