Vicente D.

Trinidad High School

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

Street foods generally refer to ready-to-eat foods and

beverages prepared either at home or on the streets and sold by

vendors, especially on streets and other public places. It is

very well patronized since they are affordable, easily

accessible, and also serve as a major source livelihood

providing a means of self-employment and the opportunity to

develop business skills with low capital investment.

Street foods are typically of low nutritional value, an

unhealthy diet, with higher risk of contamination by physical,

chemical, biological and other harmful agents which is a serious

concern for food safety (Mahanta et.al., 2011; Nonato et.al.

2012). This safety issue should include both the microbial

quality of foods and the use of non-food -grade chemical

additives which are major consumer concerns (Draper, 1996). For

example, consumers and vendors in Haiti do not know that

Hepatitis A, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus spp. are

pathogens responsible of food borne diseases (Samapundo S.,

Climat R., Xhaferi R. & Devlieghere F., 2014). There were many

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cases that even food prepared and handled at home are

contaminated with bacteria causing food borne illnesses which

has been considered a large public health and economic liability

worldwide. This makes interventions necessary to improve

consumer food safety (Young, 2014).

Physical foodborne illness is caused when a foreign object

enters the food and the customer eats it (FDA,ND). In the US,

there are about 76 million cases of foodborne illness resulting

in 325,000 hospitalization and 5,000 deaths each year (ibid).

The economic costs and the full health effects of unsafe food

are still not known, however, the global impact on health,

trade, and development is considered enormous (Grace, 2015).

There are laws around the world that safeguard consumers from

what they patronize. In the Philippines for example, there is a

law (RA 10611) with clear implementing rules and regulations,

however the same is not widely practiced. In Northern Nigeria

for example, food vendors were only concerned with profit making

at the expense of standard food hygiene and sanitary

practices.(Nurudeen et, al 2014). According to Tyler (1990),

people obey law in many ways, one of which is the consistent

implementation of what the law states, exerting its coercive

powers or influencing trough rewards.

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Despite the numerous benefits provided to people, street-

vended foods can still bring foodborne illnesses resulting from

poor hygienic practices by vendors. More often than not, street

food vendors are always at the end of accusing fingers of the

spread of foodborne diseases across the country. Therefore, the

need for food vendors to adhere to high standards of hygiene and

maintain clean vending environments cannot be overemphasized.

It is in the context that the researchers decided to embark

on assessing the hygienic practices of the street food vendors

in the municipality of Iguig. In this way, the researchers can

fully determine the hygienic practices of street food vendors.

The researchers would also like to know what problems or

difficulties have they encountered. After the study, the

researchers hope that the findings might contribute to the

efforts aimed at improving hygienic practices of street food

vendors.

Review of Related Literature

A review of previous studies on street food vending is

necessary to enable us to have a view of different scholars and

reporters. The knowledge so obtained will be useful to go in

depth and find out the unknown and unexplored areas. The earlier

studies made on street food vending and related areas are

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briefly reviewed here. Many authors have dealt extensively on

the subject of safe food. To my humble knowledge, this is almost

the first research work concerned with Street food vending in

the municipality of Iguig. Hence the researcher has made an

attempt to review the various studies on this subject which are

published in various journals, books and reports.

Rita Hutabarat L.S., (1994) in her article "Street Foods in

Bangkok - The Nutritional Contribution and the Contaminants

Content of Street Foods", revealed that Bangkok has 20,243

registered Street vendors. About 30 percent of all the Street

vendors sold prepared food. Street food vendors outnumber other-

than-street vendors who sell such things as food ingredients.

Socio-economic conditions have made vending an essential part of

the city's life. The problems commonly associated with street

vending relate to cleanliness of the city environs and the

orderliness of the city's activities. The location of vending

activities near to university, school, and busy locations like

shopping and market areas, places of recreation and

transportation terminals tend to create problems of cleanliness.

The main types of foods are snacks, meals and beverages. The

ambulatory category of vendor had equipment and facilities that

were usually of small scale. Food was most usually sold on

wooden bowls or plates, aluminum plates and bowls, and

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traditional earthenware. This category of vendor carried washing

water in a small plastic bucket. There are vendors having a

movable rig, insulated box for ice storage, a stove for heating

food, and a washing basin. Some of them are having cooking

utensils, tables and benches as well as having serving

facilities.

Abdussalam M., (1996) in his report "Essential Safety

Requirements for Street Vended Foods", studied about in the
hygienic handling of street vended foods and the attention to
containers of pastes, sauces and other food activities,
monitoring them for pathogen growth and visible deterioration of
water used for drinking and preparation of beverages. Water used
for this purpose should be potable water. Water used for washing
utensils, food and hands should be safe and should not be
reused. Ice to be used in beverages and food should be prepared
from potable water and should be transported and stored in a
hygienic manner. Foods to be eaten, raw should be prepared with
special attention to cleanliness. Preparing and processing of
food are to avoid direct and indirect contact between raw and
cooked or prepared food which will be consumed without further
heating. The vehicle used for transport should be clean and
should not carry animals. Prepared food should be kept at a
temperature of at least 60°C to prevent microbial growth.
Handling of cooked foods should be kept to a minimum to reduce
the likelihood of introducing pathogens. Vending units should be
designed and constructed so that they are easily cleaned and
maintained. Equipment, utensils and other containers should be
made of materials which do not release toxin or hazardous

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chemicals into food and beverages. Raw meat, poultry or fish

should be handled carefully; their preparation should be carried
out using separate equipment and utensils. Food handlers should
be educated to wear clean and proper clothing according to
prevailing local standards. Food handlers should wash their
hands with soap and water after engaging in any activities that
are likely to introduce biological, chemical or physical
hazards. Food should be prepared and sold in a clean well-lit
place protected from strong sun, dust, rain and wind.

Freese E. et al., (1998) in their article "The

Microbiological Safety of Typical Guatemalan Foods from Street
Vendors; Low Income Homes and Hotels", mentioned that Guatemalan
meals significantly (P<0.05)lower Aerobic Mesospheric plate
(APC) were found in home - prepared than in street food or
hotel-prepared food. But there were no significant difference in
coliform counts of Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts among the
sources of the meals. Comparison of the typical meals with
western-style foods of the same food group showed significantly
higher counts in the meat group for the typical meal and in the
plant group for the western meal. The analysis showed higher
counts for components that were not heated (example avocado
cream and tomato sauce) than those that were heated (grilled
beef and tortillas).

Ma Patricia V., Azanza and Arlyn 1.G., (1998) in their

article "Microbial Hazards of Street Vended Grilled Chicken
Intestine" found out that Street vending of grilled chicken is
popular in the Philippines. The easy affordability of the
commodity makes it appealing to the public, but hazardous to a
large portion of the population. The unsanitary use of the
sauces poses health risks to consumers. Hazards associated with
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the street vending:- contamination present in the raw chicken

intestine, contamination from contact surfaces during pre-
cooking, additional contamination from food colors.

Patricia V.A., and Arlynn I.G., (1998) in their article,

"Microbial Hazards in Street Vended Fish Balls in the
Philippines", revealed that fish ball Street vendors have
already became permanent fixtures in the main commercial Street
of the Philippines, particularly in Manila. The study identified
some microbial hazards associated with the street vending
operations of fish balls and its different sources. They were
found to contain detectable levels of coliforms and salmonella.
These levels of microbial contaminations in the sources
increased over the 6 hours vending operation. The hands of fish
ball vendors were also shown to contain increasing amount of
microbial contaminants throughout the vending operations.

Mohan B.E. et al., (1999) in their article "Surveying

Vendors of Street Food" analyses the safety of the Street vended
food. The vendors have good knowledge of food safety and cholera
but persist in unsafe practices. Around 87 percentage of the
vendors used stored water, usually in wide mouthed vessels prone
to contamination. Data for public health planning and
intervention can be gathered rapidly with this method of
surveying street vendors

Umoh V.J., and Odoba M.B., (1999) in their article, "Safety

and Quality Evaluation of Street Foods Sold in Zaria, Nigeria",
suggested that it is necessary to educate Street food vendors
and the public on the importance of environmental sanitation and
safe food handling practices in order to reduce the risk of food
borne pathogenic diseases.

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Azanza M.P., Gatchalian C.F., and Ortega M.P., (2000) in

their article, "Food Safety Knowledge and Practices of Street
Food Vendors in a Philippines University Campus", dealt on
health and personal hygiene, good manufacturing procedures, food
contamination, waste management and food legislation. Their
study found that vendors were not knowledgeable in terms of food
legislations and waste management. A significant gap between
knowledge and practice were established, attributed primarily to
the tendencies of street food vendors to compromise food safety
for financial reasons. Confusion in food legislation was
established in the test microcosm because the purveyor of Ibod
safety regulations was not the local government health unit but
the business concession office of the campus administration.

Poh-See-Toh and Birchenough A., (2000) in their article

"Food safety knowledge, attitudes, culture and environmental
impact on hawkers in Malaysia", studied the street food
marketers in Kuala Lumpur. The paper analyses demography,
working environment, ignorance based constraints on food
handling and practices, which may lead to food borne illnesses.
Malay and Indian hawkers were better informed than Chinese
hawkers, and hawkers selling foods at designated sites or in
better-developed environments demonstrated better knowledge of
HOCCP than hawkers by the roadside. Hawkers with upper or lower
secondary school education had better knowledge scores than
those with primary school education or no education. Strong
statistical relationships were found between knowledge and
attitude scores

David Heymann (2002) in his article "Food Safety, An

Essential Public Health Priority", mentioned that annual
mortality on account of food and water-borne infectious diseases
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in developing countries amounts, to the high 2.1 million deaths,

mainly of infants and children. In industrial countries
microbiological food borne illnesses affect up to 30 percent of
the population. Every year 20 out of each million inhabitants
die from food borne diseases. The human health effects of
chemical contaminants of food such as dioxins range from various
cancers, damage to the nervous system, diseases of the immune
system, reproductive disorders to interference of infant and
child development. In the industrial countries the present
atmosphere creates wariness in consumers vis-ã-vis food safety
and a severely compromised confidence of these consumers in the
existing food control system. In developing countries the
visible and endemic burden is large, mainly lack of awareness in
both the consumers and the politicians.3

Mamdouh Gabr (2002) in his article "Improving Efficiency

and Transparency in Food Safety System", mentioned in his
keynote address that there is a need to bridge the gap between
policy and practice and between theory and reality. In
developing countries, the situation is worse. Infrastructure may
be lacking. There is much other competing health, social and
economic priorities. Public awareness of the dangerous
consequences of unsafe food is low. People react indifferently
to safe control measures. Sociocultural factors, poverty,
illiteracy, and resistance to certain endemic food borne
pathogens are among many causes that contribute to this
indifference. Because of economic or political factors, decision
makers may be reluctant to take action to raise public
awareness.

Patience Mensah, et al., (2001) in their study on "Street

Foods in Accra, Ghama: 1-low Safe Are They?" found out that
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street food trade was conducted by children aged ^: 10 years and

by women aged 52 years. Of the total vendors 33.3 percent have
received no formal education. Nevertheless, they exhibited good
hygienic behavior as indicated by the high prevalence of hand
washing and personal care. People bought Street foods held in
open or protected structures. The surroundings of the vending
sites were clean. Only 3.4 percent was classified as dirty. At
total of 17.9 percent of vendors associated diarrhea with germs
but none was aware that dirty lands were a risk factor of
diarrhea. A total of 511 menu items were tested. Out of that
69.7 per cent of food samples were detected to contain
mesospheric bacteria. B cereus, S aureus and enter bacteria were
found in 5.5 percent, 31.9 percent and 33.7 percent
respectively.

Case Study of a Food Plaza in Delhi" studied on safety of

Street foods sold in a food plaza in Delhi. Each stall was
assessed and scored for a range of facilities and food handling
practices, including layout, water supply, equipment, and
utensils, waste disposal facilities, storage, preparation and
dish washing. Samples of foods sold and water used at the
outlets were analyzed for microbiological quality. Coliforms
were found in 41.7 percent of food samples analyzed; but were
not detected in any tap water or stored water. Recommendations
are made for improving food safety at the stalls. These include
safety and hygiene training for food handlers and the
introduction of an improved licensing system.

The following are Sanitary and Hygienic practices to be

followed by street food vendors according to Bhutan Agriculture
and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA,2014):

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(1)The premises shall be located in a sanitary place free from

filthy surroundings. Environmentally unpolluted area shall be
selected for the sale of the street vended foods.(2)The place
used to manufacture foods shall have adequate space for
manufacturing and storage to maintain hygienic
environment.(3)Never store chemicals and other non food items
along with foods. The same shall be kept separately under
control and their use is restricted to the person trained to use
the same.(4)The premises shall have adequate space to move and
shall be well lit with proper ventilation to expel fumes and
smell.(5)The floors and ceilings shall be free from flaking
paints and must be in good condition, well maintained to
facilitate easy cleaning and shall be free from stagnant water
and condensation.(6)The floor and the joints of wall to floor
shall be cleaned and disinfected with a permitted disinfectant
to avoid harbouring of insects and vermins. (7)No chemical shall
be used to destroy pests while the work is going on. Instead fly
swats or flaps can be used to kill the fly entering
inside.(8)Windows, doors and other openings shall be screened in
case the flying insects are too many and difficult to control
otherwise.(9)Rodent traps shall be used to check the presence of
rodents in the manufacturing area and if caught, rodent control
with the advice of the regulators shall be
initiated.(10)Continuous supply of potable water shall be
available; otherwise, storage facility shall be set up. If
stored in tanks, regular program shall be practiced to clean and
disinfect the water tank or jar. The water storage tank or
container shall always be kept closed to protect the water from
insects, dust and other contaminants. Never use hands to take
water. A tap can be fitted to the jar and water shall be taken
out through the tap. The tap shall also be cleaned and sanitized
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at least at the time of start and at the end of business and

whenever found dirty.(11) Adequate washing arrangements shall be
available with soap or detergent with proper drainage system to
the outlet and it shall be made sure that the drainage is not
blocked or there is no foul smell coming out of the
drainage.(12)Depending on the business, volume and nature of the
food manufactured and sold, there shall be facility to wash
equipments used and other utilities separately and keep them
stored for us.(13)The washed item shall never come in contact
with the used ones and shall be ensured that washed utensils
shall never be kept over and above in a heap unless they are
dried or wiped moisture free. In case water remains, sliminess
will be formed and this may cause contamination of food as well
as harbourage of bacteria.(14)If wiping clothes are to be used,
the same shall be stitched well so that the thread will not come
out. The wiping clothes shall be changed every 4 hours, cleaned
and disinfected.The clothes shall be protected from external
contamination by keeping them in a clean box.Clothes used for
different areas including hand drying can be color coded so that
misuse can be prevented.(15)No vessel which may cause metallic
leaching into the food while preparation or storage shall be
used by the food business operators. For example, Aluminium
vessel for acidic foods or Copper or Brass vessel without food
grade lining.(16)All equipments shall be well cleaned and
disinfected, dried and stored on a rack or on a pallet to ensure
freedom from growth of mould, fungi and other
infestation.(17)There shall be a designated container with lid
and lined with garbage bag for the collection of solid waste and
refuse.(18)These containers shall be always kept closed and
personnel shall make sure that the container is emptied whenever
it is full or at the end of the operations and cleaned,
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disinfected and brought back to the kitchen or outlets.(19)The

waste shall not be disposed in open areas and cause problem to
the public.(20)There shall be a schedule for cleaning and the
person responsible for the manufacture of food shall verify that
the cleaning is carried out as per the schedule.No waste or
refuse shall be scattered around the manufacturing or sales
area.(21)The schedule shall include minimum checking of the
entire area as well as the equipment for absolute cleanliness at
the start as well as at the end of the operation. If
deficiencies are seen, immediate action shall be taken. The food
business operator shall remember that they are responsible for
keeping the area clean and safe and avoid any sort of potential
contamination.All personnel engaged in the manufacturing,
transportation or sale of food shall wear clean dress as well as
apron, gloves while serving or handling, and head gears to
protect the food from contamination. Personnel with any sort of
infection shall not be engaged in food handling. Before being
engaged in food business, they shall be examined by a medical
practitioner and shall be certified free from any sort of
diseases which can be transmitted through food. They shall be
fit to work in food handling: They shall keep nails trimmed
without nail polish, clean and wash hands with soap and sanitize
before commencing the work and every time they feel hands become
dirty and invariably after using toilets; Scratching of any body
part or touching hair shall be avoided while handling
food.(22)All food handlers shall avoid wearing loose jewelry
which may fall in the food and refrain from carrying loose metal
parts or coins in their pockets which can accidentally fall into
the product and cause a physical hazard to the
consumers.(23)Eating, chewing, smoking, spitting and nose
blowing shall be prohibited (If the food handler feels to
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sneeze, the same shall be done away from food, covering the
mouth and the nose with hand and then wash hands
immediately).(24)All articles of food stored or intended to be
sold shall be in covered containers well protected from any
contamination and shall be fit for consumption.(25)The vehicles
used for transportation of food shall be clean and well
maintained.(26)Quantity to be cooked shall be for the day’s
requirement only so that leftovers can be minimized. Consumables
left over after use shall be protected from any contamination
and stored well for next day’s use. (27)Hot food shall be
transported in hot condition in a thermocol container or warmer
and sold in hot condition. As far as possible, it shall be
ensured that cooked ready to eat food shall be sold within 2 to
3 hours time from the time of cooking, so that food does not
remain in temperature danger zone for more than 2 to 3 hours.If
excess is prepared, the same shall be in chilled condition and
before serving, the chilled food can be re heated and served to
ensure safety. (28)Under no condition, food once re heated shall
not be again stored in chiller and reheated again and
served.(29)Handling of ready to eat food shall be minimum and as
far as possible, handling and serving of cooked foods shall be
using tongs.Wearing gloves is never a substitute for keeping
hands clean and sanitized as gloves can also get infected from
surroundings and cross contaminate the food.(30)It is ideal to
use disposable gloves and sanitize them every 2 hours while
handling cooked foods or replace with a new one.(31)All left
overs shall be disposed after the designated time and never be
used for sale or consumption.(32)Rubbish, waste water, open
toilet facilities and stray animals shall not be near the
area.(33)In case a platform or cart is used, the surface shall
be corrosion free and easily cleanable. When not in use, the top
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shall be covered and protected from insects, pests and

pets.(34)Separate waste bins shall be provided by the vendor for
the consumers to dispose the remains and the waste after eating.
(35)Sale points, tables, benches, boxes, cupboards, glass racks
or bags for keeping the serving dishes, cutleries shall all be
clean and tidy.(36)Chipped utensils shall not be used as they
cannot be adequately cleaned and sanitized. (37)Water for
drinking shall be potable and shall be covered and protected.
They shall not be kept in filthy area.(38)The used plates shall
be wiped off waste using clothes or wipers into the bins
provided and cleaned and sanitized. It is strongly recommended
to use disposable plates kept hygienically in covered containers
or baskets.(39)In case refrigerator is used in street vending
facility, the same shall be cleaned and sanitized at least once
in a week.(40)The location of the vending unit shall be in a
place approved by the authority and not blocking traffic or
pedestrians or near unhygienic locations.(41)A high degree of
personal hygiene shall be practiced by each one while handling
food.

Theoretical Framework

The researcher will base the study on the Hubley’s BASNEF

Model of health practices. The model was developed by Hubley in
1993 his desire to determine the reasons as to why people change
their health behaviors. According to Hubley, an individual will
adopt a new practice when he believes that the practice has more
benefits for health. The person will then develop a positive
attitude to the change. Subjective Norms, which may be other

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people’s views, will also influence the person’s decision to try

the new practice. Skills and resources which in this model are
referred to as Enabling Factors, will then determine if the
practice is indeed taken up and sustained. The views advanced by
Hubley (1993) seem to apply appropriately to this study because
worldwide, food hygiene is poorly practiced and this leads to
diseases which is a major social evil that cripples any
development in the society. The solution to this is
understanding about hygiene.According to Hubley, the success of
the implementation of these hygiene practices will largely
depend on combined efforts of encouragement of proper food
hygiene practices and the construction of water and sanitation
facilities. These will serve as enabling factors that will make
the street food vendors to transform the newly acquired
attitudes and beliefs into desirable food hygienic practices. If
properly addressed, these factors will lead to healthy consumers
become productive members of the society with the ability to
share the benefits of basic food hygienic practices in their own
homes and communities.

Statement of the problem

The primary concern of this study is to assess the hygienic

practices of the street food vendors in the municipality of
Iguig.

Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following

questions:

1.What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

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1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Educational Attainment

2.To what extent do the vendors practice their hygiene

in terms of:

2.1 Vendors personal hygiene

2.2 Food Preparation

2.3 Food Handling

2.4 Waste Disposal

3.What are the problems encountered by the respondents in

practicing their hygiene with regard to:

3.1 Socio-economic conditions

3.2 Knowledge level in proper hygienic practices

3.3 Infrastructural support

3.4 Monitoring and guidelines from the government

4.What are the possible recommendations to improve the

hygienic practices of the street food vendors?

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Research Paradigm

Input Process Output

1.What is the profile of the
Process
respondents in terms of: Output
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Educational Attainment
2. To what extent do this vendors
practice their hygiene in terms of: 1.Determined hygienic
2.1 Vendors personal hygiene practices of street food
vendors in the
2.2 Food Preparation municipality of Iguig
2.3 Food Handling Assessing the hygienic
2.Determined problem
practices of the street
2.4 Waste Disposal encountered by the
food vendors in the
respondents in practicing
3.What are the problems encountered municipality of Iguig
by the respondents in practicing their their hygienic practices
through questionnaire-
hygiene with regard to:
based survey 3.Determined possible
3.1 Socio-economic conditions recommendations to
3.2 Knowledge level in proper improve the hygienic
hygienic practices practices of the street
food vendors
3.3 Infrastructural support
3.4 Monitoring and guidelines
from the government
4.What are the possible
recommendations to improve the
hygienic practices of the street food
vendors?

Feedback

Figure 1

The figure 1 shows the flow of the research wherein it used

input-process-output. The input consists of the question that

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the researchers want to answer. The process shows the tool/ways

that the researcher will utilized in gathering the data and the

output presents the possible outcome of the research.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study are hoped by the researchers to

be valuable to the following:

Consumers. This study will give them valuable information about

the street food they are consuming for them to know the safety

level of the food.

Street food Vendors. The conduct of the study will provide them

an opportunity to assess their own hygienic practices that will

give them avenue to meet the proper hygienic practices standards

of the health agencies.

Health Agencies. The findings of the study may provide them

information that may serve as basis in conducting a training in

proper hygienic practices for street food vendors.

Future Researchers. Future researchers who would like to study

the same topic with broader scope may use this as reference or

one of their resources in enriching their review of related

literature.

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Scope and Delimitation

The study was limited on assessing the hygienic practices

of the street food vendors in the municipality of Iguig.It

specifically focused on the vendors personal hygiene, hygienic

practices during food preparation.

To fulfill the objectives of the study, 50 street food

vendors will be utilized.

Definition of terms

The following terms were operationally defined to

facilitate understanding of the study:

Age. Refers to the number of years of the respondent’s

existence

Gender. Refers to the category by which the respondents are

grouped in terms of their productive function that is being male

or female.

Health agencies. Agencies that gives standard in proper hygienic

practices that may prevent spread diseases and maintain public

health.

Educational attainment. Refer to the highest degree of education

an individual has completed.

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Hygienic practices. Set of practices performed to preserve

health.

Street food. Food or beverages that are being sold in a street

or other public places.

Street Food Vendors. Person who prepare ,cook and sell street

food

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