A recent study provided insight into the on-farm hygiene characteristics that affect the contamination of milk produced at informal dairy farms in Zimbabwe. The research was led by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Childcare’s Department of Food and Microbiology, in collaboration with Midlands State University, the University of Venda, and the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark.

Specifically, the study looked at the microbiological safety level profiles (MSLPs) of dairy workers' hands and milking containers, and the influence of hygiene and handling practices on MSLPs of raw and cultured milk, from six informal dairy farms in Zimbabwe. Interviews and direct observations were conducted to assess hygiene and handling practices, and a total of 192 environmental swabs and milk samples were taken to be analyzed for the presence of microbes. The researchers sampled and swabbed raw milk, cultured milk, the dairy workers' hands, and milking containers, which were analyzed for total bacterial and coliform counts, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Klebsiella pneumonia.