Perception of street food vendors toward healthy food handling practices in capital city of Eastern India.

BACKGROUND

Street food safety remains a significant concern, with outbreaks of foodborne diseases linked to unhygienic practices, but it has been rarely studied in India. Hence, this study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding safe food handling techniques among street food vendors of urban Bhubaneswar city.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 214 street food vendors from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area. The wards under BMC with maximum street food stalls and vending zones were purposively selected, which comprised four wards. The participants were recruited by convenient sampling from December 2022 to April 2023. A semi-structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect data, which were analyzed using SPSS version 20.

RESULTS

The study found that most street food vendors were male (91%), with a mean age of 36.8 ± 10.39 years. Most vendors (71%) had private mobile stalls, and 32% were graduates. While 64% of vendors were aware of available vaccines for foodborne diseases, only 53% recognized the health risks associated with poor food handling practices. Regarding practices, 31.5% of vendors did not use personal protective equipment, and 28% washed utensils with water only. Despite adequate knowledge, barriers to practicing good hygiene included lack of awareness (53%), financial constraints (29%), and lack of training (28%). The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted vendors' businesses, with 73% experiencing complete shutdowns.

CONCLUSION

Street food vendors in Bhubaneswar have adequate knowledge of food safety principles but face barriers to implementing hygienic practices. Education, training initiatives, and regulatory measures are crucial to improving food safety in the informal food sectors.