Bad bugs!

The following bacteria are the most common sources of street food contamination:

Ecoli (Escherichia coli 0157:h7) – this infection often leads to bloody diarrhoea and occasionally to kidney failure.

B.cereus (Bacilleus cereus) – this food poisoning is a gastro-intestinal intoxication that produces diarrhoea and vomiting.

Salmonella – this bacterium attacks the stomach and intestines and causes diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting.

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FOOD FACTS

Nutrition and health

In the countryside people grow their own food, whereas in the cities people have to buy their food.

Nutrient rich foods are expensive in the cities where low-income city dwellers tend to struggle to buy food.

The ideal would be to incorporate micronutrient food sources in street vendor menus.

Consumption of street food contributes significantly to the intake of staple foods by urban consumers.

In Bangkok for example, 40% of residents’ overall energy intake comes from street food.

Unlike the countryside where people and families grow their own staple foods on a subsistence basis, low-income city dwellers often struggle to meet their food needs, as the cost of nutrient rich staple foods is much higher in urban areas.

Many health problems caused by poor nutrition are linked to economic deprivation.

Agents of nutrition and food safety

In Madurai (India), the Federation of Consumer Organisations of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (FEDCOT) is creating a new vendors’ association whose members will register their activities with municipal authorities.

The association will facilitate training on food safety, hygiene and nutrition for 200 vendors and provide mechanisms for follow-up guidance and assistance.

In Hanoi, the Vietnamese Standards and Consumers Association (VINASTAS) collaborated with national food authorities to train a group of 30 vendors on nutrition and food safety.

Did you know?

Diarrhoeal diseases alone, due to unsafe food and water kill 1.8 million children every year.

WHO – Countries urged to be more vigilant about food safety

Water

The CI survey found that most street food vendors get their water from municipal systems, but few municipalities treat or purify this water.

Most vendors used stored water instead of running water to wash their hands and clean their stall.

This suggests that the tap water is too far away or too limited.

In India, for example, the survey found that just 1% street food vendors washed their hands with running water close to their stalls.

The majority washed their hands with the same stored water used for dishes, and then re-used this water many times.