The food safety knowledge and microbial hazards awareness of consumers of ready-to-eat street-vended foods and their exposure to microbiological hazard

Abstract

In many countries, the authorities face extreme difficulties in monitoring and ensuring that food sold on the street is safe, that is, fit for human consumption. This is particularly the case in urban areas, where people buy food on the street because it is readily available and relatively inexpensive. The objective of this study was to determine the food safety knowledge and microbial hazard awareness of street food consumers, and to assess the bacteriological quality of selected ready-to-eat foods sold by street vendors in the Johannesburg municipality. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted and a total of 402 respondents who buy and consume street-vended foods were randomly selected at various street food vending locations. A total of 315 various street-vended samples were purchased from randomly selected street food vendors at different vending locations in Johannesburg metropolis, in order to investigate the bacteriological quality of street-vended foods. Results of the bacteriological analysis revealed that total aerobic counts ranged from 0.3*102 - 0.4*105 cfu/g in cereals and grain-based foods; 0.4*102 - 0.5*105 cfu/g in meat-, dairy- and fish-based foods and 0.7*102 - 0.9*104 cfu/g in fruit- and vegetable-based foods. None of the food samples tested positive for Salmonella spp and Staphylococcus aureus. Results of the survey showed that the majority of respondents were black males younger than 35 years. Individuals of different gender, race, level of education and monthly income groups significantly (p<0.05) differed in their responses regarding the frequency of purchasing and confidence in the safety of street-vended food. Better taste followed closely by affordability and accessibility were the most cited reasons for purchasing street-vended food