ABSTRACT
Poor
personal and environmental hygiene contribute significantly to food
contamination and resultant foodborne diseases. It is assumed that by their
nature, street food contamination is inevitable, yet millions of people depend
on this source of nutrition and economic livelihood. Foodborne illness poses
substantial health burdens and their impact on vulnerable populations is
concerning. Education of food industry personnel in hygiene matters is
recommended for improving safer food handling practices. Environmental Health
Practitioners are, in terms of Nigerian food safety law, authorized to train
food handlers. There is, however, a lack of documentary evidence of
improvements in food hygiene standards which can be directly related to
education or training. This study is aimed to assess the extent of street food
vendor information and education on food safety.
To assess
attitudes and practice of street food vendors, a descriptive, cross-sectional
study utilizing a quantitative research approach is driven out. Data was
collected through face-to-face interviewing of street food vendors, with
observations of general hygiene and cleanliness. Data was captured in Excel and
imported into CDC Epi Info version 3.4.3 (2007) for analysis. Numerical data
was analyzed using descriptive statistics and categorical data was analyzed
using frequencies. Bivariate analysis was used to establish differences between
regions with high and low proportions of street food vendors with regard to knowledge,
practices and attitudes variables. Chi-square testing was used to assess
statistical significance differences between high density and low density
regions with the cut off point for statistical significance set at p<0.05.
One
hundred and fifty street food vendors (SFVs) participated in this study.
Seventy seven percent entered the business due to unemployment. Sixty seven
percent had been trained in food safety and eighty six percent were certified.
Regions with a higher density of SFVs were more likely to have received
training as opposed to regions with a lower density of SFVs and this was
statistically significant x2=3.34: p<0.05. Although most of the vendors
could not list the 5 Keys to Safer Foods, their knowledge of the actual behaviors
associated with each key is acceptable. Attitude towards food safety was also
positive since all questions had greater than 71% agreement on the attitude to
specific food safety behaviors. In relation to self-reported practices, SFVs
from high density regions and trained SFVs were more likely to practice food
separation to prevent cross contamination and this was statistically
significant. Trained SFVs were more likely to have stands or stalls that met
hygiene standards as observed by the EHPs and this was found to be
statistically significant.
This study
indicates that street food vendors have adequate information regarding food
safety principles and their attitudes to food safety can be regarded as attuned
to the need to ensure safe practices in food preparation. The practices
assessed in this study also indicate that street food vendors can provide food
safely although attention needs to be given to some practices and regulatory
compliance. Training can be regarded as essential to ensure food safety.
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
A street vendor
us broadly defined as a person who offers goods for sale to the public without
having a permanent built-up structure from which to sell. Street vendors may be
stationary I.e occupying space, or they may be mobile. The street food industry
plays an important role in cities and towns of many developing countries both
economically and in meeting food demands of city in dwellers (Muinde and Kuria,
2005). Street food is a common occurrence in public places, particularly n
cities where it often fulfills a bassey c need to the urban inhabitants (Rahman
et al., 2016). An urban survey in Bangkok revealed 39.6% people eating at
restaurants and /or street vended food at least once a day and 32.6% consuming
it twice a day (Waltanasiriwit, 2007). Availability and accessibility rather
than individual income or stage of national development seem to determine
street food consumption patterns. In many countries, workers as well as
students have their first meal of the day from the street food vendors (Winarno
and Alliance, 2017). According to a 2007 study from Food and Agriculture
Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food everyday (Fellows and Hilmi,
2011).
Street food
vendors prepare food in an informal settings and are thus exposed to climate
and temperature changes, poor sanitation and unsafe water supply. The food
prepared in these conditions is usually unsanitary and unhygienic. It poses a
health risk to the consumer in the form of food borne diseases (World Health
Organization, 2003). The world Health Organization (WHO), in 1996 recommended
its member nations to regulate street food vending and ensure proper education
of the vendors regarding hygienic practices (WHO, 1996). Food borne diseases
are on a rise in both developed and developing countries, in particular, diarrheal
diseases which result in estimated 1.9million deaths annually (Farthing et al.,
2013).
Street food is
consumed by a significant member of people around the globe on a daily basis.
In Malaysia alone, street food is reported to generate a business worth 2.2
billion annually (Wimarmo and Allain, 1991). Considering the importance of
street food, a survey was conducted by WHO, findings of which reported street
food to constitute a major source of food consumption for urban population in
74% countries.