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Registration

Field Before After
Trial Status in_development completed
Trial End Date June 30, 2025 December 31, 2025
JEL Code(s) d80, D82, F63, O17 D80, D82, F63, O17
Last Published December 29, 2024 11:21 PM February 23, 2026 09:37 AM
Intervention Start Date January 20, 2025 September 01, 2025
Intervention End Date February 05, 2025 October 15, 2025
Primary Outcomes (End Points) safety levels of sour milk samples, weekly revenue 1. Safety levels of soured milk samples 2. Weekly revenue 3. Adoption of 14 safe handling practices 4. Willingness-to-pay for masks, head caps, cleaning cloths, and lactic ferments.
Primary Outcomes (Explanation) Safety levels will be measured in terms of differences in microbial contamination of sour milk samples between treated processors and untreated ones. weekly revenues will be measured by assessing the differences in sales between processors in the treated group who receive training and display certification in their shop and processors in the control group. 1. Samples of soured milk will be collected during follow-up surveys and tested for E.coli and Enterobacteriaceae by our partner institute to determine if both levels are below the nationally accepted threshold. We will analyze both the continuous measures of contaminant levels, and create a binary safety score equal to 1 if the sample satisfies safety levels for both parameters (i.e. is safe to consume). Safety levels changes will be measured in terms of differences in microbial contamination of soured milk samples between treated processors and untreated ones. 2. Weekly revenues will be measured by assessing the differences in sales between processors in the treated group who receive training and display certification in their shop and processors in the control group. 3. In each shop, the respondent will be asked a set of questions about the shop’s fermentation processes and equipment use. Along with clean equipment and proper storage, when observable, we will create binary variables for each hygiene and safety variable recorded and construct an index where each respondent’s score will be the addition of the number of safe hygiene practices they adopt . This index will be compared between treated and control groups. 4. Willingness-to-pay for safety equipment (masks, head caps, cleaning cloths, lactic ferments) will be measured by assessing the differences in shop respondents’ willingness-to-pay for each item between treated processors and untreated ones.
Experimental Design (Public) We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impacts of safety training on the adoption of safe handling practices and the safety level of Neex Soow producers’ sour milk. Using 360 participants, we will conduct a baseline survey to understand processors' production, business, and safety practices. We will further assess participants’ demand for safer inputs such as masks, head caps, cleaning sheets, and lactic ferments by evaluating their willingness to pay for each item using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschack auction mechanism. Following the baseline survey, half of the participants will receive the treatment. Research partners from the Food Technology Institute (ITA) in Senegal will design a 3-day theoretical and practical training intervention to train treated participants on proper handling practices in milk processing. We will conduct a follow-up survey 6 months after baseline surveys and collect milk samples from all 360 participants to be tested for microbial contamination by ITA. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impacts of safety training on the adoption of safe handling practices and the safety level of Neex Soow producers’ sour milk. Using 360 participants, we will conduct a baseline survey to understand processors' production, business, and safety practices. Randomization was done at the neighborhood level (clustered randomized controlled trial), and stratified by commune. We will further assess participants’ demand for safer inputs such as masks, head caps, cleaning sheets, and lactic ferments by evaluating their willingness to pay for these 4 items using the Becker- DeGroot-Marschak auction mechanism. Following the baseline survey, half of the participants will receive the treatment. Research partners from the Food Technology Institute (ITA) in Senegal will design a 3-day theoretical and practical training intervention to train treated participants on proper handling practices in milk processing. We will conduct a follow-up survey 6 months after baseline surveys and collect milk samples from all 360 participants to be tested for microbial contamination by ITA.
Planned Number of Clusters 40 neighborhoods 40 communes, 148 neighborhoods
Planned Number of Observations 360 360 soured milk processors
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms 180 sour milk processors control, 180 sour milk processors safety training. 1. T (Treatment – training): 180 soured milk processors in 148 neighborhoods 2. C (Control): 180 soured milk processors in 148 neighborhoods
Secondary Outcomes (End Points) 1. Certificate display 2. Price changes
Secondary Outcomes (Explanation) 1. To assess compliance and adoption of treatment, we will assess the display of certificates between respondents assigned to receive training and those from the control group. Certificate display is an observable variable and is equal to 1 if the certificate is visibly displayed in front of the shop. 2. Price may increase if consumers recognize the higher product quality and sellers capitalize on the higher quality.
Pi as first author No Yes
Public locations No Yes
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