Original Research Article
Year: 2018 | Month: May | Volume: 8 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 235-243
An Assessment of Food Safety Practices among Street Vendors in Mombasa, Kenya
Alice Odundo1, Prof. Paul Okemo2, Dr. Peter Chege3
1Tutorial Fellow - Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Pwani University, Kenya
2Professor - Department of Microbiology, Kenyatta University, Kenya
3Senior Lecturer - Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Corresponding Author: Dr. Peter Chege
ABSTRACT
Street vended foods have gained popularity due to economic benefits. However, they have been recognized as a potential hazard to public health. Minimal information exists on the safety and hygiene of street foods. This study aimed to assess the hygienic practices of the street food vendors in respect to their training in basic food hygiene. The study adopted a descriptive survey in Mombasa Island on a sample of 100 randomly selected vendors. The focus was on vendors selling mahamri, mbaazi and samosa. Chi-square (χ2) was used to test the relationship between training and various aspects of hygiene. T- Test and analysis of variance was used to assess for any significant differences between study variables. Results notes poor hygiene practices like wearing of jewellery (37%), having long and unclean nails (43%) and lack of protective clothing (36%). Men had better hygienic practices than women (P<0.05). Hygiene practices significantly (P<0.05) related to the training where those trained were found to observe hygiene. The study concluded that the street-vended foods are not safe as they are exposed to food safety risks. It is recommended that street food vendors be trained, recognized and licensed to enable them produce safe food.
Key words:Street food vendors, Food safety, Hygiene practices, Training.