Evaluation of food safety and sanitary practices among food vendors at car parks in Ile Ife, southwestern Nigeria

Fatty Acid Composition of Selected Street Foods Commonly Available in Malaysia

Despite growing evidence of increased saturated and trans fat contents in street foods, little is known about their fatty acid (FA) compositions. This study aimed to analyse the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and trans fatty acids (TFAs) content of 70 selected and most commonly available street foods in Malaysia. The street foods were categorised into main meals, snacks, and desserts. TFAs were not detected in any of the street foods. Descriptively, all three categories mainly contained SFAs, followed by MUFAs, and PUFAs. However, the one-way ANOVA testing showed that the differences between each category were insignificant (p > 0.05), and each FA was not significantly different (p > 0.05) from one to another. Nearly half of the deep-fried street foods contained medium to high SFAs content (1.7 g/100 g–24.3 g/100 g), while the MUFAs were also high (32.0–44.4%). The Chi-square test of association showed that the type of preparation methods (low or high fat) used was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the number of SFAs. These findings provide valuable information about fat composition in local street foods for the Malaysian Food Composition Database and highlight the urgency to improve nutritional composition.

Surface Hygiene Evaluation Method in Food Trucks as an Important Factor in the Assessment of Microbiological Risks in Mobile Gastronomy

Street food outlets are characterised by poor microbiological quality of the food and poor hygiene practices that pose a risk to consumer health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hygiene of surfaces in food trucks (FT) using the reference method together with alternatives such as Petrifilm^TM and the bioluminescence method. TVC, S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. were assessed. The material for the study consisted of swabs and prints taken from five surfaces (refrigeration, knife, cutting board, serving board, and working board) in 20 food trucks in Poland. In 13 food trucks, the visual assessment of hygiene was very good or good, but in 6 FTs, TVC was found to exceed log 3 CFU/100 cm² on various surfaces. The assessment of surface hygiene using various methods in the food trucks did not demonstrate the substitutability of culture methods. Petrifilm^TM tests were shown to be a convenient and reliable tool for the monitoring of mobile catering hygiene. No correlation was found between the subjective visual method and the measurement of adenosine 5-triphosphate. In order to reduce the risk of food infections caused by bacteria in food trucks, it is important to introduce detailed requirements for the hygiene practices used in food trucks, including techniques for monitoring the cleanliness of surfaces coming into contact with food, in particular cutting boards and work surfaces. Efforts should be focused on introducing mandatory, certified training for food truck personnel in the field of microbiological hazards, appropriate methods of hygienisation, and hygiene monitoring.

A systematic review of the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food safety among street food handlers

Foodborne diseases are commonly reported from various food establishments; however, little information has been obtained on this topic from the street food industry. Therefore, the present systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food safety among street food handlers to highlight relevant gaps in the safety and quality of food handling. Articles included in the present systematic review were extracted from several electronic databases based on the PRISMA protocol and CASP checklist. By applying inclusion criteria, twelve peer-reviewed studies from 2010 to 2020 were included in the present systematic review. Results revealed that the food safety KAP level among street food handlers varied across the study settings. It was also found that training plays an essential role in improving food safety practices. KAP assessment is essential as an initial diagnosis to guide and prioritise appropriate strategies based on the food safety aspect that requires the most attention. It also provides a decision-making basis for food safety authorities to develop relevant policies, and organise food safety training.

Food safety knowledge and practice of abattoir and butcher shop workers: a health risk management perspective

BACKGROUND

Meat is rich in essential proteins and valuable nutrients for human health. Despite these benefits, it is a favorable medium for microbial growth and transmission to humans unless recommended safety procedures are followed. This research aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice of the abattoir and butcher shop workers who were working in the meat value chain.

METHODS

The cross-sectional study design, using structured questionnaire interviews was used to assess the knowledge and practice of abattoir and butcher shop workers. A total of 226 randomly selected workers were participated in this study and bivariate logistic regression was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Of 226 total participants, 46% were abattoir workers and 54% were butcher shop workers. Majority (88.9%) of the participants did not know about meat safety and 74.3% of the participants had insufficient practices. The cumulative knowledge of both abattoir and butcher shop workers was significantly associated (p = 0.001) with their knowledge of the presence of diseases causing agents in meat, the source of meat contamination, and the common critical points of meat contamination along the meat value chain. The cumulative practice of abattoir workers was significantly associated with their practices on daily meat transporting vehicle washing (p = 0.007), reducing meat contamination (p = 0.001), duration of animal fasting before slaughter (p = 0.039), cleaning of the animal body before slaughter (p = 0.002), cleaning material used in the abattoir (p = 0.003), disposal of abattoir waste (p = 0.002), and type of biosecurity measures used (p = 0.013). Similarly, the cumulative practice of butcher shop workers was associated (p = 0.001) with their practices of attracting customers, storing remaining meat from daily sales, and measures on contaminated food. Employment of the participants was significantly associated with both the cumulative knowledge (p = 0.007) and practice (p = 0.001) of the participants while the age of the participants was associated (p = 0.001) with only their cumulative practices.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, the participants' food safety knowledge and practice were unsatisfactory. As a result, the integrated food safety policy formulation in a One Health framework, and collaborative awareness creation among different food safety stakeholders were recommended.

The Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Malaysian Food Truck Vendors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Foodborne diseases are one of the greatest public health threats, but they can be prevented by maintaining food safety practices. Although the food safety literature has been awash with studies from various food operations, there is very limited information on food safety in the food truck business. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices related to food safety among food truck vendors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 396 Malaysian food truck vendors using convenience sampling. Data was collected during the Recovery Movement Control Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic through a validated self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The findings indicated that food truck vendors generally have fair knowledge (M = 78.8, SD = 9.09), a positive attitude (M = 94.8, SD = 5.95), and good practices (M = 84.7, SD = 6.62) regarding food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression analysis further showed that food truck vendors’ level of education and knowledge of food safety are significant predictors of their food safety practices. This study provides an initial understanding of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among food truck vendors and yields important information in promoting the food safety culture.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) Regarding Meat Safety and Sanitation among Carcass Handlers Operating and Assessment of Bacteriological Quality of Meat Contact Surfaces at the Marrakech Slaughterhouse, Morocco

According to the Moroccan Court of Auditors, the meats are prepared in slaughterhouses that do not meet the basic conditions required by Moroccan standards. This survey is being conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of handlers regarding the salubrity and hygiene of meat and to evaluate the bacteriological load of work surfaces in a slaughterhouse located in the Marrakech region. A total of 100 people working at the slaughterhouse participated in the study. The average values concerning the attitude and practice of the carcass handlers were, respectively, very satisfactory (65.7%) and acceptable (53.44%), while the average value of knowledge was generally low (39%). Bacterial load was assessed by the serial dilution method using the standard procedure. Seventy samples were taken from the hands of manipulators, knives, clothes, hooks, door handles, floor, and walls over an area of between 20 and 100 cm². The total number of aerobic mesophiles (TAVCs), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella spp was determined for each sample. Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate (42%), while Salmonella spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the least bacterial isolates with 16% and 14%, respectively. Walls and knives were the most contaminated by E. coli at 90%. This survey reveals the importance of developing formal training for all slaughterhouse handlers regarding meat hygiene and safety during carcass processing to develop their knowledge and practices. Bacteriological results indicate a need to improve the available slaughter facilities and develop an appropriate slaughter process strategy to minimize the risk of carcass contamination.

Interactions between Street Food and Food Safety Topics in the Scientific Literature—A Bibliometric Analysis with Science Mapping

Street food (SF) consists of ready-to-eat food prepared and sold on the street. This food constitutes the food traditions of local populations in many countries of the world. SF characterizes a large number of cities around the world, from New York to Paris, from Palermo to cities of North Africa, China, India and Japan. SF is inexpensive and prepared following traditional methods that meet local consumer preferences, culinary culture and lifestyles. Moreover, SF allows a unique experience for tourists who also want to experience a destination through traditional food consumed on the street together with the locals. Nevertheless, SF is linked to several health hazards. Hence, several studies discussed on the compliance with hygiene and food quality requirements that SF vendors should guarantee, to ensure human health. So far, there is no bibliometric review attempting to provide an objective and comprehensive analysis of the existing scientific documents that simultaneously study the scientific topic of SF linked to that of Food Safety (FS). Therefore, the objective of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework of the interactions between studies on SF and FS topics, in order to discover if the combined topic of “Street Food Safety” (SFS) was investigated as a topic in its own right. A bibliometric analysis was carried out analyzing 276 scientific contributions from the last 21 years, indexed in the Elsevier Scopus database and in the Clarivate Web of Science database. The results showed a very strong interaction between the two topics and many others in several scientific sectors; In particular, the topic of SFS involves many disciplines of social sciences. The results highlight that the scientific topic of SFS exists but not consciously, and it is believed that the research interest in this topic can grow considerably in the coming years, also because of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation that we are experiencing.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Abattoir Workers Toward Abattoirs Waste Management in Eastern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

During meat production, a large amount of wastes are generated that consist of feces, tissue waste, blood, fat, bone, animal trimmings, intestinal content, and urine that can be a potential risk to humans and the environment. Low knowledge, negative attitude, and poor practice can lead to poor waste management, which is more severe in developing countries like Ethiopia. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of abattoir workers toward abattoir waste management in Eastern Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Eastern Ethiopia' abattoirs from 1st to 30th of January, 2020. Two hundred and sixty-seven (n = 267) abattoir workers in 4 selected abattoirs (Haramaya University, Haramaya town, Harar town and Dire Dawa City administration) were interviewed using a pretested structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical package. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the strength between knowledge and attitude, knowledge and practice, and attitude and practice. A P-value of .05 was considered as a cut-off point for statistical significance.

RESULTS

This study revealed that 203 (76%) of the respondents had less knowledge, 69 (26%) had a positive attitude and 43 (16%) of them had a good practice toward abattoir waste management. There was a statistically significant difference between socio-demographic characteristics (education, work experience, and salary) and knowledge, attitudes and practices of the study participants. This study found moderate positive correlations between knowledge and attitude [r = .404, P = .013], weak positive correlations between knowledge and practice [r = .229, P = .009], and strong positive correlations between attitude and practice [r = .717, P = .023] of the abattoir workers toward waste management.

CONCLUSION

This study concluded that more than one-quarter, less than one-quarter, and about 3-quarter of the participants had less knowledge, negative attitude, and poor practice, respectively toward abattoir waste management. Therefore, regulatory bodies and other relevant industries must implement effective control measures that can be important to increase the knowledge, attitude, and practices of abattoir workers toward waste management.

Factors associated with food safety compliance among street food vendors in Can Tho city, Vietnam: implications for intervention activity design and implementation

Background

Street food plays a valuable role in several Asian countries including Vietnam. Improving the safety of street food is an important responsibility for many local food authorities. This study aims to characterize the business profile of fixed and mobile street food vendors, and to compare their compliance with the food safety criteria.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire and observational checklist to assess the ten Vietnamese food safety criteria prescribed under Decision No. 3199/2000/QD-BYT for street food vendors in Can Tho city. A total of 400 street food vendors, composed of fixed and mobile vendors, in urban areas of the city were randomly selected for the survey.

Results

The study showed significant differences between the two types of street food vendors in educational level (p = 0.017); business profile, including types of foods vended, area in use, number of employees, training in food safety, and business registration paperwork; and the status of compliance with the ten-food hygiene and safety criteria (p < 0.01). Poisson regression analysis found that education attainment (IRR = 1.228, p = 0.015), food safety training (IRR = 4.855, p < 0.01), total business capital (IRR = 1.004, p = 0.031) and total area in use (IRR = 1.007, p = 0.001) appeared to be significantly positively associated with food safety and hygiene compliance. In contrast, mobile vending type was negatively associated with the likelihood of adhering to the ten criteria (IRR = 0.547, p = 0.005).

Conclusions

These findings emphasize the need for training and education programs to improve food safety knowledge and practice among street food vendors. Basic infrastructure and services, especially clean water, proper sanitation, and waste disposal facilities, should be provided to help street food vendors better practice food safety and hygiene regulations.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12497-2.

Scoping review of food safety at transport stations in Africa

OBJECTIVE

The WHO has declared food safety as a public health concern. Transport hubs such as taxi ranks, bus stations and other transport exchange sites are major food trading/purchasing sites, particularly in Africa. Research evidence is needed to improve food safety policies and ensure consumption of safe food, owing to the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, particularly in the WHO Africa Region. We systematically mapped and described research evidence on food safety at transport stations in Africa.

DESIGN

A scoping review guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework.

DATA SOURCES

We searched for original research articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL with Full-text and Health Source), SCOPUS, and Google Scholar from their inception to 25 October 2020.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

We included studies that focused on food safety, involved transport stations, involved African countries and were published in English.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Data extraction was performed by two reviewers using a piloted-tested form. Thematic analysis was used to organise the data into themes and subthemes, and a narrative summary of the findings is presented.

RESULTS

Of the total 23 852 articles obtained from the database searches, 16 studies published in 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. These 16 studies were published between 1997 and 2019, with the most (5) in 2014. Of the 16 studies, 43.8% (7) were conducted in South Africa, 3 studies in Ghana, 2 in Ethiopia and 1 study each in Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho and Zambia. Most (44.4%) of the included studies focused on microbial safety of food; few studies (22.2%) focused on hygienic practices, and one study investigated the perspective of consumers or buyers. Microbes detected in the foods samples were Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Shigella spp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus aureus, which resulted mainly from poor hygiene practices.

CONCLUSIONS

There is limited research that focused on food safety at transport stations in Africa, especially on aspects such as hygiene practices, food storage and occupational health and food safety. Therefore, we recommend more research in these areas, using various primary study designs, to inform and improve food safety policies and practices for transport stations in African countries alongside improving access to clean water/handwashing facilities, and undertaking structural changes to facilitate behaviours and monitoring for unintended consequences such as livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

An Evaluation of the Hygiene Practices of Polish Street Food Vendors in Selected Food Trucks and Stands

Today, street food vending is becoming a dynamically developing food industry in Europe, including Poland. Lifestyle changes and socioeconomic factors, especially among young consumers, make it a convenient food alternative, even in countries without this tradition. The aim of the study was to evaluate hygiene conditions and practices in selected street food facilities in Poland. The study was carried out in accordance with an observation checklist developed on the basis of the hygienic requirements of the European Union. The study covered 550 randomly selected street food vendors in Poland in 10 cities. The hygiene of street food outlets was assessed in three aspects: ensuring proper production conditions, hygiene of production and distribution, and hygiene of personnel. The evaluation of street food outlets showed that the level of hygiene was not fully acceptable. A small percentage of the examined objects satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements of the production conditions, production and distribution hygiene, and staff hygiene. The proposed hygienic checklist for quick daily monitoring of street food outlets can be used to perform internal and external inspections. It seems that specific codes of conduct for European street foods facilities are necessary.

The food safety knowledge of street food vendors and the sanitary conditions of their street food vending environment in the Zululand District, South Africa

This research sought to evaluate the food safety knowledge of street food vendors and the sanitary compliance status of their vending facilities, Zululand District, South Africa. Data collection was done in a face to face interview with respondents in a cross-sectional survey research design. Data was collected from 399 randomly selected street food vendors and 200 randomly selected street food vending facilities. Only a minority of the street food vendors had attended high school (47 %) and the vast majority (77 %) of them had not attended any food safety training courses. Overall, the vast majority (76 %) of the street food vendors had low food safety knowledge and only 14 % of the street food vending sites had high compliance with sanitary conditions. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that most of vending facilities of street food vendors constitute a food safety risk to the consumers. This was primarily due to the possession of inadequate food safety knowledge of street food vendors, non-compliant street food vending infrastructure, and inadequate monitoring and controls by competent authorities. It is recommended that, authorities should implement the food stalls/caravan system in areas with adequate sanitation and use the licensing and permit tool to ensure control and adherence to food safety regulations and street food vendors and health inspectors should be trained on safe food handling principles and practice.

•

Most of the street food vendors had not attended any food safety-training.

•

Most of the street food vendors possessed inadequate food safety knowledge.

•

Most of the street food vending sites are non-compliant to food safety regulations.

•

There is inadequate monitoring for prevention and control actions by health authorities.

Evaluation of Street Food Safety and Hygiene Practices of Food Vendors in Can Tho City of Vietnam

The objective of this study was to investigate the food safety status of street foods in the city of Can Tho, Vietnam. A total of 410 consumers was interviewed to get an insight into the popular street foods in the studied area. Vietnamese sandwich (34.63%) and sugarcane juice (24.51%) were consumed popularly according to the survey. A total of 263 street food samples (i.e.Vietnamese sandwich, n = 131 and sugarcane juice, n = 132) were collected from different locations such as schools, hospitals, markets, and other locations in four districts (i.e. Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Phong Dien and O Mon) of Can Tho city for microbiological analysis. Total aerobic mesophilic counts (TMC), yeast and mold, coliform, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were assessed. Microbial contamination of Vietnamese sandwich was 5.7-9.2 log CFU/g (TMC), 2.0-7.4 log CFU/g (yeast and mold), 2.5-7.9 log CFU/g (coliform), 1.0-5.9 log CFU/g (E. coli), and 1.7-6.6 log CFU/g (Staphylococcus aureus). There was a significant difference in Vietnamese sandwich sampling among districts (p<0.05). In contrast, the contamination of sugarcane juice samples with regards to total aerobic mesophilic counts, yeast and mold, coliform, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were 7.53±0.74, 5.56±0.71, 6.02±1.21, 2.26±1.31, 1.47±0.77 log CFU/mL, respectively. No statistically significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in sugarcane juice samples among districts and locations. The observation of the handling practices of street food vendors showed inadequate hygiene practices, assessment of the street foods safety showed that they do not satisfy the Vietnam hygiene standard of specific foods. These findings give an insight into the safety status of sampled street foods and may provide needed information for Vietnam’s authorities to further improve the safety of street food and create food safety awareness among consumers and handlers, thereby preventing risk to public health.

Consumer Eating Behavior and Opinions about the Food Safety of Street Food in Poland

Street food plays an increasingly important role in the nutrition of the inhabitants of European cities. Our study aimed to analyze Polish consumers’ attitudes toward food offered in street food outlets, consumers’ eating out behavior, and the factors that determine their choice of meals from street food vendors. A survey was conducted of 1300 adult respondents who eat street food in Poland. The research enabled a detailed and comprehensive assessment of consumer behavior toward the use of street food outlets, as well as consumer opinions on vendors’ functioning, including hygiene and meals offered. Factors determining the frequency of street food consumption, preferred food types, and factors influencing the use of such outlets were identified. The most important factors were the quality of services and meals, personal preferences and price. Using cluster analysis, consumer profiles based on the types of street food outlets and food preferred were identified. Four main street food consumer preference profiles were identified: ‘burger-enthusiasts’, ‘kebab-enthusiasts’ and ‘ice-cream enthusiasts’, and ‘no specific-oriented consumers’. The Internet and social media were identified as information and promotion channels for this form of gastronomy. Results also revealed Polish consumer behavior and opinions about the food safety of street food in Poland. In summary, in Poland the habits of eating typical Polish homemade dishes is being replaced by eating meals in street food outlets, which can be classified as fast food. Increasing consumer knowledge and awareness of the quality and safety of street food may counteract improper hygiene practices of sellers.

Microbiological assessment of street foods at the point of sale in Maputo (Mozambique)

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the microbiological quality and safety of street food sold in the main streets and informal markets of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

Materials and Methods

From 83 different vendors selling different types of foods, 83 samples of ready-to-eat (RTE) street food were analyzed. Mesophiles, Escherichia coli and total coliforms were used as quality and hygiene indicators. Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) Salmonella and coagulase-positive staphylococci were used as food safety indicators.

Results

High proportions of unsatisfactory food samples were found in both traditional hot (76.7%) and cold (75%) foods. L. monocytogenes and Salmonella were tested negative in this survey. However, when coagulase-positive staphylococci was used as a food safety indicator, approximately 25% (23/83) of the food samples analyzed were classified as unsatisfactory/potentially hazardous.

Conclusions

These results, showing that street food sold in Maputo clearly requires adequate sanitary conditions for its preparation and sale, contribute to the development of good manufacturing practices (GMP) for street food in Maputo, Mozambique. This is the first report on the microbiological quality and safety of street food in Mozambique.

Natural leaf-type as food packaging material for traditional food in Nigeria: sustainability aspects and theoretical circular economy solutions

Global call for healthy and sustainable food production and consumption has been loud, and the majority of these calls center on ensuring food security through sustainable agriculture. The other parts of the food supply chain such as consumption, packaging, recycling, and food waste management seem to be overlooked especially by developing nations of the world where attention is mainly placed on production. But in the broad sense, public health and environmental quality could be adversely impacted by neglect, mismanagement, or loophole on any of these food management systems. Hence, the current work studies the health and environmental impacts of local food packaging materials, adopting Nigeria as a proxy for the developing world. A review was first conducted to appraise the sustainability aspects of achieving and using natural leaves as a packaging material for traditional foods in Nigeria. The result of the review rightly shows that leaf-type packaging material has several apparent health and environmental advantages for food packaging. In view of this, the current work proposes a theoretical circular economy model that would ensure the constant and sustainable availability of these local packaging materials, especially in the urban centers.

Street Food, Food Safety, and Regulation: What is the Panorama in Colombia?

ABSTRACT

Public management of street food is a challenge in many countries. In Colombia, despite the extent of the economic, social, and food contributions of the segment and the concern from the public health perspective, the amount of research on the subject still remains insufficient. Thus, this study aimed to establish a panorama of the street food trade in Colombia, considering its mode of operation, food security, and regulatory context, based on the scientific literature published between 2000 and 2018. A literature review was carried out in the Medline, SciELO, LILACS, Scopus, Redalyc, and Google Scholar databases, as well as in the University of Colombia's institutional repositories and scientific books. A set of 19 publications were selected and evaluated for three dimensions-work and culture, food safety, and regulation-according to the objectives and methodologies applied. In category 1, relative to work and culture, five studies were retrieved (26.3%), highlighting the economic and social contribution of the sector and the protection of food cultural heritage. Category 2, referring to hygiene and microbiological safety in the activity, covers 11 publications (57.9%) and comprised the largest research field of interest in the country. Among the food pathogens surveyed, Salmonella spp. were the most investigated, registering nonconformity in the samples (6.55%). Category 3, with three articles (15.8%), covered public policies and regulation of the segment, highlighting the challenges to regulating the sector and the need for intersectional articulation in administrative policies. The results confirm both the relevance of the segment to food security and the concern with microbiological hazards, demanding strategies to improve its regulation and functioning in the country, with the aim of protecting the health of consumers.

HIGHLIGHTS

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of street food vendors and consumers in Handan, a third tier city in China

Background

Food safety has long been the subject of scholarly research, and street food is a weak link in food safety supervision. Street food not only provides convenience for many people, but is also the livelihood for millions of low income people, making a great contribution to the economy of many developing countries.

Methods

Street food safety is essential, and yet it has been rarely studied in China. Therefore, a typical city in China was selected as the research object to assess food safety knowledge, attitudes, and street food suppliers and consumer behaviors using questionnaires based on previous studies, and considering China’s particular characteristics and reasonable impacts identified in previous studies, such as increased income, work experience, licenses, and locations. The food safety knowledge and attitude questionnaire conformed with the national conditions in China. It was used to assess the food safety knowledge and attitudes toward food suppliers and consumers, where three main areas were addressed in the surveys and statistical analysis, as follows. (1) Statistical information including gender, age, education, income, food safety training, and specific elements related to the work experience of suppliers. (2) Knowledge of food safety including the awareness of consumers and suppliers regarding food poisoning pathogens, food and personal hygiene, high-risk groups, and correct cleaning. (3) A list of food handling behaviors was used to determine the behaviors and characteristics of subjects.

Results

The results show that street food suppliers have generally poor food handling practices, and most are operating under unsanitary conditions. Food safety knowledge of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, most likely because these regions are located in rural-urban fringe zones, where education levels are generally relatively low. Food safety attitudes of the youngest consumers were significantly better than those of older age groups. Their educational level was also different, with correspondingly relatively high income for younger individuals. Most vendors chose locations near schools or supermarkets. Consumers and street food vendors had good understanding of food safety, but street vendors were relatively poor in carrying out safe food handling, with only 26.7% using or being fully equipped withhand-washing facilities, although more than 60% of vendors wore clean and tidy clothes and masks.

Conclusions

Street food vendor training should be prioritized to improve the safety of street food. Other policies and measures should also be propagated to improve the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of vendors in Handan. Steps should be taken to improve street food stall operating conditions and facilities, including providing clean protected structures, access to potable water, and efficient waste collection and disposal systems. These findings should encourage government agencies to further promote strategies to improve street food safety.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7475-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers’ practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers’ point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

Development of a Brazilian Food Truck Risk Assessment Instrument

This study aimed to develop and validate a checklist instrument as a first step for the risk assessment of the hygienic-sanitary practices and conditions of food trucks. We invited sixteen experienced experts in the food safety field to take part in the process. The checklist was designed based on the Codex Alimentarius, Brazilian resolutions Collegiate Board Resolution 216, Brazilian Collegiate Board Resolution 275, Brazilian Federal District Law no. 5.627 and Brazilian Federal District Normative Instruction 11. The preliminary version of the checklist—composed of 29 items (nine sections)—was evaluated by 13 experts. They evaluated the items regarding their importance (content validation) and clarity (semantic evaluation) by the Delphi technique. The criteria for the approval of the content validation (Likert scale from 1 to 5) and semantic evaluation (Likert scale from 0 to 5) processes were as follows: a minimum of 75% agreement among the experts (W-values ≥ 0.75) and a mean grade ≥ 4. We performed the complete validation process in three rounds. The final version of the assessment instrument comprised 39 items, following suggestions from experts to add or subdivide some questions. The checklist can be used to conduct inspections of food trucks by health surveillance auditors, of food truck vendors’ decision-making processes and also as a diagnostic tool. The application of this checklist will allow the effective risk assessment of the hygienic-sanitary practices and conditions in food trucks and potentially ensure consumers’ access to safe street food.

An Evaluation of the Hygiene Practices of European Street Food Vendors and a Preliminary Estimation of Food Safety for Consumers, Conducted in Paris

The aim of this study was to evaluate hygiene conditions and practices in selected street food facilities in Paris, France. One hundred twenty mobile food establishments were studied: kiosks, 66 (55%); stands, 32 (26.7%); and food trucks, 22 (18.3%). Inspection of street food vendors and short interviews with staff using a specially designed checklist revealed that none of them were entirely hygienic. The hygiene conditions of the facilities themselves were the most satisfactory (77% of them were up to standard), but hygiene was less so for production and distribution processes (65% were satisfactory) and personal hygiene (67% were satisfactory). A significant ( P ≤ 0.05) correlation between the general hygiene status and the hygiene conditions of the production and distribution processes ( r = 0.86) and the hygiene practices of workers ( r = 0.86) was found. The instances of noncompliance that were found may affect the safety of street-vended food. Because of its increasing popularity, it is important to correct poor hygiene practices. It is very important to identify common instances of noncompliance for street food facilities and to develop real remedial actions. Procedures to control the hygiene of street food vendors should also be developed. The checklist, which was specially designed to evaluate street vendor outlets, could also be used to pre-assess the hygiene conditions of production by those responsible for food hygiene. Furthermore, it could serve as a checklist for self-assessment (internal audit) by the vendors themselves and be adopted as a consumer education tool, to increase awareness of food hygiene of a catering facility.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Hygienic Practices of Boiled Hypocotyls (Borassus aethiopum Mart) Vended in the Streets of Cotonou City and Its Outskirts, Benin

In Benin, the boiled hypocotyl (Borassus aethiopum Mart) is one of the most common street foods consumed for its therapeutic properties. However, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of boiled hypocotyl food sellers are poorly known despite the high contamination potential of these street foods. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of boiled hypocotyls food vendors in the streets of Cotonou and its outskirts. The approach used concerned the process of good hygiene and production. Face-to-face interviews of 300 hypocotyls vendors and producers from Cotonou, Sèmè, Ouidah, and Abomey-Calavi were conducted. Concurrently, 200 samples of boiled hypocotyl were collected among study vendors. Results showed that all of the interviewed population (100%) of this activity are women. They are generally illiterate and 75% of them have never been to school. Additionally, 76.7% of street boiled hypocotyls sellers interviewed were mobile. The microbial profile of the boiled hypocotyls showed the lack of control and poor understanding of hygiene rules. The processes management also revealed two diagrams processes. The conditions in which hypocotyls vendors operate are largely unacceptable from a food safety point of view and an effort should be made to provide them with adequate infrastructure including potable water. In view of the socioeconomic impact of hypocotyl activities in Benin and their role in the unexpected arrival of food-borne diseases, vendors should be regularly trained in order to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.

A study about the young consumers' consumption behaviors of street foods

As in almost every country in the world, street foods are frequently used in Turkey. To determine the preferences for these foods, a questionnaire was given to 847 individuals constituted by randomly selected high school and university students. Of the participants, 43.4% were male and 56.6% were female; the majority of them were between 19 and 22 years of age. It was found that 40.1% of the young people ate street food 2-3 times per week, whereas 23.3% were found to eat it every day. Turkish bagels, döner, boiled corn in a cup and toast are most preferred street foods. A statistically significant negative correlations were found between consumption preference scores and education, gender, and age. Although consumers know that street foods can cause contamination with microorganisms, that sellers do not pay attention to hygiene, and that these foods are raw or not cooked well, they prefer because of their cheapness, deliciousness, variety and fast service. Street foods are widely consumed in Turkish young students and because of preventing food poisoning, they should be educated about food hygiene and safety. Also, educating vendors in personal hygiene and good manufacture practice can minimize contamination risk.