Tomato pesticides health risk was assessed in Meru district of Arusha region, one of the key tomato producers in Tanzania. Tomato samples and consumption information were collected from 50 farmers using Food and Drug Administration standards and twice administered twenty-four hour recall questionnaire respectively. Analysis for pesticide residues was done using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Dietary pesticide exposure was estimated deterministically by combining pesticide residue levels and tomato consumption levels. Pesticide levels were detected for; permethrin (mean, 5.2899 mg/kg/day), chlorpyrifos (mean, 7.5281 mg/kg/day) and ridomil (mean, 2,854.279 mg/kg/day) in 18% of samples. Health Risk Indices, determined as ratio of estimated daily intake to acceptable daily exposure, for chlorpyrifos, permethrin and ridomil were greater than one. This implies that, lifetime consumption of fresh tomatoes can pose health risk for chlorpyrifos, permethrin and ridomil. Awareness raising on good practices for pesticide application and food safety strengthening are recommended to protect public health against pesticides. This paper has explored pesticide application practices during tomato production and its implication to pesticide residues and the associated risks of dietary pesticide exposure.It has been found that, pesticide residues found in tomatoes are higher than the recommended limits and might cause health risks to consumers. These findings will provide evidence for policy makers to develop strategies of reducing risk to consumers and serve as a basis of training farmers on pesticide use as well as strengthen food safety system in Tanzania. In the long run, safe tomatoes will be consumed and the public will be protected from any fatal health risks associated with pesticides exposure.This will consequently, promote health and nutrition wellbeing of tomato consumers in Tanzania and the nearby countries.

Tomato contributes the highest percent to the fruit and vegetables consumed in Tanzania. Its high consumption is attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds and vitamins known to prevent noncommunicable diseases. Pesticides used to control pests and diseases cause direct accumulation of pesticide residues in food. Consumption of pesticide contaminated tomato increases the risk of pesticide exposure. This review is on types of pesticides used in tomato production, health effects of pesticides, levels of pesticide residues in tomatoes, dietary pesticide exposure, awareness on pesticides effects and preventive measures as well as policies governing pesticide use in Tanzania. Clearly, there is evidence of extensive use of pesticides in tomato production, limited knowledge regarding pesticide use, as well as weak regulatory framework for pesticide use. Importantly, levels of pesticide residues in tomatoes consumed in Tanzania exceed the recommended maximum residual limits. In order to assure pesticide safety of food, there is a need to identify and control farmers' practices which are highly associated with pesticide contamination in tomatoes.

Background In many regions of the world, little is known about meal structures, meal patterns, and nutrient intake because the collection of quantitative dietary intake is expensive and labor-intensive. Objectives We describe the development and field-feasibility of a tablet-based Tanzania-24-hour recall tool (TZ-24hr-DR), and dietary intakes collected from adults and children in rural and urban settings. Methods Using the Tanzanian food composition table, the TZ-24hr-DR tool was developed on an Android platform using Open Data Kit. The module provides food lists, meal lists, ingredient lists, quantity and amount consumed, breastfeeding frequency, and a recipe feature. Similar to the USDA Automated Multiple Pass Method, this TZ-24hr-DR contains review features such as time in between meals, a summary of meals, and portion sizes. Results Dietary intake using TZ-24hr-DR was collected among 1) 845 children 0–18 months of age enrolled in the EFFECTS trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03759821) in Mara, Tanzania, and 2) 312 adult families from the DECIDE observational study in peri-urban Dar es Salaam. Interviewers were trained on paper-based methods with food models and tablet-based collection. Conversion to nutrient intake was readily linked and accessible, enabling rapid review and analysis. Overall, 2158 and 8197 dietary meal records were collected from DECIDE study and EFFECTS trial. Among adults, 63% of men and 92% of women report eating at home, and there were differences in protein, fat and zinc. Food consumed outside the home typically occurs for the first two meals. Children's intake of nutrients increased with age; however, median micronutrient intakes for calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin A remained below recommended nutrient intakes. Conclusions TZ-24hr-DR is a field- and user-friendly tool that can collect large samples of dietary intakes. Further validation is needed. The tool is available freely for research purposes and can be further adapted to other contexts in East Africa.

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