Background Food safety is a major public health issue, particularly in developing countries. Ready-to-eat street-vended foods contribute to daily dietary life, but with elevated food safety burden. Here, hygiene and food safety practices as well as the microbial contamination in Uganda's edible grasshopper value chain was evaluated. Methods This was a cross-sectional mixed methods study with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A face-to-face administered questionnaire and observational checklists were used to collect data. A total of 29 households (Kampala; 12 and Masaka; 17) participated, and grasshopper samples collected along the value chain. Indicator pathogens were analysed using standard microbiological methods. Results Sociodemographic characteristics reveal that two-thirds of households in Kampala and 53% in Masaka were female headed. In Kampala and Masaka, respectively, 50% and 12% of households had earth or sand floors. All households in Kampala were one or two-roomed dwellings with no separate room as a kitchen, and shared a toilet compared to 43%, 65% and 53%, respectively, in Masaka. 83% households in Kampala and 56% in Masaka obtained drinking water from public taps. Handwashing was inadequate and none of the actors was observed to wash their hands after taking a break or handling waste. Only 8.3% respondents had raised racks for drying utensils. For vendors, wearing protective clothing was not common, with only 28.5% in Kampala and 30.8% in Masaka wearing an apron. Containers for vending grasshoppers were largely uncovered and the utensils (spoon or cup) for measuring the grasshoppers were left mainly uncovered during the observation period. Indicator organisms, E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium, were detected. E. coli was the most common contaminant, but with lower levels in Masaka compared to Kampala. Salmonella typhimurium was mainly a burden in Kampala. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that there are enormous contributors to poor hygiene and sanitation along the value chain. The existence of pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli in ready-to-eat foods imply that their consumption pose a health risk. There is an urgent need to create awareness among the actors,through regular trainings on food safety and personal hygiene practices in food handling and inspection to prevent foodborne disease outbreaks.

Gender diversity is an essential aspect of both private and public organizations. The concept has continued to evolve because of the need to tap into different abilities possessed by different gender at the workplace. However, previous studies have not indicated to what extent workforce diversity is related to employee performance in various organizations. On this basis, the paper sought to investigate the relationship between gender diversity and employee performance in the County Government of Bomet, Kenya. The paper was guided by social identity theory. The study adopted a correlational research design, and the target population was 3,320 employees working in various departments within the County Government of Bomet. Fisher's formula was used to determine the sample size for the study, which was 91. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The reliability of the research instrument was examined through the use of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, where an alpha coefficient of 0.850 was obtained. Content and construct validity of the instrument validity were ensured through extensive literature review and consultation with human resource management subject experts. Data analysis was done using correlation and regression analysis. Data were presented using frequency tables, means, and standard deviation. According to the study results, it was revealed gender diversity revealed a positive relationship (r=0.689; p<0.05) with employee performance. In general, gender diversity influenced employee performance by 72.3% (R2= 0. 723). According to the study findings, it was recommended that county governments ought to advocate for workforce diversity, explicitly focusing on gender diversity to increase employee performance.