Assessment of Hygienic conditions of Street Food Vendors and Identification of Hazardous points involved during Street Food Vending
Open Access
- 31 December 2022
- journal article
- Published by CrossLinks International Publishers in DIET FACTOR (Journal of Nutritional & Food Sciences)
Abstract
The provision of safe and nutritious food is a fundamental human right that contributes to good health, efficiency, and provides a foundation for people' sustainable development and poverty reduction. Objectives: To analyze the sanitary conditions of street food sellers and to identify potential hazards during street food vending. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Between September and November 2013, 100 street food vendors in three heavily populated neighborhoods of Lahore (Ravi town, Data Ganj Baksh, and Shahdara town) were assessed using a questionnaire and a food safety checklist. For the production of safe street food, hazards were identified along the phases involved in street food selling. The SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Results: 89% of vendors lacked hygiene and proper clothing, and 71% did not wash their hands before food preparation. 36% of vendors were afflicted with various diseases. Only 27% of the vending units were sufficiently clean and well maintained. The biggest concern with unsanitary food served by street food sellers was that only 19% purchased raw items from trusted sources. Only 18% of respondents used separate utensils for raw and RTE food storage, while 49% did not. The presence of fungal growth (26%) indicated the source of food-borne infections. There were six primary points/steps in street food vendors where contamination and hazardous threats existed. Conclusions: Most street foods were found unsanitary and hazardous. The food vendors were mainly ignorant and uninformed about food safety. Basic GHP and HACCP related precautionary measures should be taken.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Improving Food Safety Culture in Nigeria: A Review of Practical IssuesFoods, 2021
- Sanitary Conditions of Food Vending Sites and Food Handling Practices of Street Food Vendors in Benin City, Nigeria: Implication for Food Hygiene and SafetyJournal of Environmental and Public Health, 2014
- Evaluation of food safety and sanitary practices among food vendors at car parks in Ile Ife, southwestern NigeriaFood Control, 2014
- Evaluation of DAS™ kits for the detection of food-borne pathogens in chicken- and meat-based street-vended foodsJournal of Food and Drug Analysis, 2013
- Practices, knowledge and risk factors of street food vendors in UgandaFood Control, 2011
- Street Vended Food in Developing World: Hazard AnalysesIndian Journal of Microbiology, 2011
- Keeping Up Appearances: Perceptions of Street Food Safety in Urban Kumasi, GhanaJournal of Urban Health, 2008
- Street-Vended Foods Improvement: Contamination Mechanisms and Application of Food Safety Objective Strategy : Critical ReviewPakistan Journal of Nutrition, 2006
- Improving street food vending in South Africa: Achievements and lessons learnedInternational Journal of Food Microbiology, 2006