AFRO Food Safety Newsletter Issue No 2.

July 2006
World Health Organization
Food Safety Unit (FOS)

14. Bhat RV and Vasanthi S. Food Safety in Food economic activity and a source of income
Security and Food Trade: Mycotoxin Food for the urban poor in many developing
Safety Risk in Developing Countries.
Washington D.C. International Food Policy
countries. Street food businesses are
Research Institute, 2003, (Brief 3). usually owned and operated by individuals
15. Gong YY et al. Determinants of Aflatoxin or families. The benefits from this trade
Exposure in Young Children from Benin and extend throughout the local economy. For
Togo, West Africa: The Critical Role of instance, vendors buy their fresh food
Weaning. International Journal of
Epidemiology. 2003; 32(4):556-562
locally, thus linking their enterprises
16. Turner PC et al. Reduction in Exposure to directly with small-scale farms and market
Carcinogenic Aflatoxins by Postharvest gardens (2). A survey in Accra, Ghana
Intervention Measures in West Africa: A showed that the street food sector employs
Community-Based Intervention Study. Lancet. over 60 000 people and has an estimated
2005; 365(9475):1950-1959
17. Fandohan et al. Fate of aflatoxins and
annual turnover of over US$ 100 million,
fumonisins during the processing of maize into with annual profits of US$ 24 million (3).
food products in Benin. International Journal of
Food Microbiology 2005;98(3):249-259 Street foods provide an affordable
source of sustenance to the urban poor
and is a source of employment for
women.
Street Food Vending in the
Street foods and women participation
Region: Food Safety
Challenges Studies have shown that the street food
trade is an important income-generating
activity for women in both urban and rural
Street foods are defined as ready-to- areas. For example, studies in Senegal
show that women play a large role in the
eat foods or beverages prepared and/or sold
in the street and other similar public places. sector representing 53% of vendors (2).
Its expansion is linked with urbanization Other similar studies in other African
and associated poverty as well as the need countries such as Burkina Faso also
for urban populations for employment and identified women to predominate
food. representing 75% of the vendors (4).

A longitudinal study of food Street food consumers

consumption patterns in Bamako showed
that street food accounts for 19-27% of Street foods also account for an important
food expenses and provides 134-417 kcal part of the expenditure of the poor and
per day per person (1). almost 40% of the total food budget goes to
purchasing street foods in the lowest
Street food vending and economic expenditure quintile. This indicates that the
opportunities urban poor rely on street foods both as a
coping strategy and as part of normal
The street food trade has emerged as an consumption. This contributes significantly
to the intake of staple foods (5).
July 2006. Food Safety Newsletter 5
 AFRO Food Safety Newsletter Issue No 2. July 2006
World Health Organization
Food Safety Unit (FOS)

Children are also important street food some street foods. A study conducted in
consumers. A study of food habits outside Accra, Ghana found evidence of lead and
the home by schoolchildren in Cotonou, pesticide (chloropyrifos) contamination
Benin showed that more than 90% of the in waakye, (Ghanaian dish made from
schoolchildren were regularly given pocket rice and cowpea), and fufu (dish made
money by their parents, and this money from pounded cooked cassava and yam).
was used mainly for buying food from It was suggested that a possible source of
vendors inside or near their schools (6). heavy metal contamination are the metal
pots, pans and utensils manufactured in
Street foods associated with food safety local foundaries with limited facilities.
challenges Other sources include airborne pollution,
water and soil (3).
The hygienic quality of street foods is a
major concern to food safety regulators. Fig.2 : Street food vendors
These foods are generally prepared and
sold under unhygienic conditions, with
limited access to safe water, sanitary
services, or garbage disposal facilities.

Microbial quality of street-vended foods

Several studies of street foods in the

Region have reported high levels of
microbiological contamination and
presence of pathogenic bacteria. In Ghana, Source : WHO African Region
a study that investigated the microbial
quality of street foods sold in Accra Hygienic and sanitary practices of
isolated Shigella sonnei, enteroaggregative vendors of street foods
Escherichia coli and Salmonella arizonae
in some of the food samples (7). An assessment of some street foods
widely consumed in Ouagadougou,
A study on the bacteriological profile Burkina Faso showed that vendors did
of street-vended foods from Addis Ababa not respect hygienic practices. Street food
showed Bacillus spp., staphylococci and vendors sometimes sit close to
micrococci as the dominant groups in some wastewater drainage systems and solid
foods (8). waste. The water used to wash the
materials was also of poor quality (4). In
Heavy metals and pesticides in street- Ghana, a study to evaluate the role of
vended foods street food vendors in the transmission of
diarrhoeal pathogens showed that 37.5%
Improper use of additives, adulterants of the vendors harboured at least one
and the presence of environmental enteric bacteria. The pathogens were
contaminants have been documented in
July 2006. Food Safety Newsletter 6
AFRO Food Safety Newsletter Issue No 2. July 2006
World Health Organization
Food Safety Unit (FOS)

mainly E. coli but one subject had have been developed to promote
Salmonella and 4 different types of E. awareness on street food safety. In
coli. The study further showed that in Cameroon, a training guide: “Guide Sur
35% of the vending sites food was La Manipulation Des Denrees
exposed to flies while 17.1% of vendors Alimentaires et Boissons Vendues Dans
handled food at ground level (9). Les Lieux Publics” has been developed.

Efforts and initiatives: interventions to WHO’s contribution to the

enhance street food safety and improvement of the street food trade.
livelihood of vendors are underway in
many countries. Activities at supporting countries
have included: the development of
In Tanzania, in 1996, the National training materials on street food,
Food Control Commission in including a guide on healthy food
collaboration with WHO and the City markets has been developed. Codex has
Commission started implementing a developed guidelines for design of
healthy cities programme, which had a premises and control measures for street
component for improving safety of street vended foods in Africa.
foods. During that year some staff of the
Ministry of Health and the City Training of food handlers regarding
Commission were trained as trainers on the hazards associated with their
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point products, safe handling and
(HACCP) system. The trainers were used preparation of food and good hygienic
to train over 300 street food vendors in practice, is an essential part of any
Dar es Salaam. As a result, majority of strategy to improve the safety and
street food vendors show high degree of quality of street-vended food.
consciousness on food hygiene and
safety.
WHO five keys to safer food: a tool for
In Ghana, a series of training training street food vendors on safe food
programmes was organized for selected handling
food vendors within the Kumasi
Metrapolis. Evaluation of the training Recognizing the need for food safety
demonstrated positive results. It was education and shared responsibility of
evident from the training that there were food safety, WHO introduced the 5 keys
a number of logistical and operational to safer foods in 2001. These are: keep
issues that directly or indirectly affected clean, separate raw and cooked, cook
the quality and safety of their products. thoroughly, keep food at safe
temperature, use safe water and raw
In other countries, training materials, materials. WHO has developed a generic
pamphlets and other educational tools training manual “Bringing Food Safety
h
July 2006. Food Safety Newsletter 7
AFRO Food Safety Newsletter Issue No 2. July 2006
World Health Organization
Food Safety Unit (FOS)

Home” which is based on the 5 keys References:

message as a framework for producing
targeted training materials and for use 1. Ag Bendech M et al. Food Consumption
Patterns in the Urban Milieu of Bamako.
in training selected target groups Sante Publique. 2000; 12(1):45-63
including food handlers, street food 2. Winarno F.G. and Allain A. Street Food in
vendors, school children etc. Developing Countries: Lessons from Asia.
Food, Nutrition and Agriculture – Food for
Several country-level initiatives to the Future. FAO. 1991
3. Tomlins K.I. et al. Enhancing Product
prevent foodborne diseases through the Quality: Street Food in Ghana: A Source of
promotion of the WHO Five keys have Income, but not Without its Hazards.
been initiated in the Region. For PhAction News 5. 2002
example in Botswana, a series of food 4. Barro N et al. Microbial Quality
safety awareness workshops were Assessment of some Street Food Widely
Consumed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
organized on the WHO Five Keys, Sante. 2002; 12(4):369-374
including workshops for food handlers 5. Maxwell D et al. Urban Livelihoods and
in schools. The Republic of Congo, Food and Nutrition Security in Greater
adapted the manual “Bringing Food Accra, Ghana. Washington, D.C.
Safety Home” into a simple modular International Food Policy Research
Institute. 2000. (Report 112).
document. The five keys poster has also 6. Chauliac M et al. Food habits outside the
been translated into two local home by school children in Cotonou,
languages. In Mozambique, the five Benin. Sante. 1998; 8(2):101-118
keys poster has been translated into 7. Mensah P et al. Street Foods in Accra,
Portuguese and has been widely Ghana: How Safe are They? Bulletin of the
World Health Organization. 2002,
disseminated. 80(7):546-554.
8. Muleta D and Ashenafi M. Bacteriological
Conclusion Profile and Holding Temperatures of
Street-vended Foods from Addis Ababa.
Sale and consumption of street International Journal of Environmental
Health Research 2001; 11(1):95-105
foods are on the increase within the 9. Mensah P et al. The Role of Street Food
Region and will continue to do so. Vendors in the Transmission of Enteric
Since such foods form an indispensable Pathogens in Accra. Ghana Medical
part of the urban diets, the need to Journal 1999; 33(1): 19-29
strive to improve their safety is 10. WHO. Essential Safety Requirements for
Street-vended Foods. 1996.
imperative. Strategic interventions and
regulatory measures need to be kept in
place so as to fully reap the benefits of
such foods with minimal risks to
foodborne diseases. There is a need for
well-coordinated projects, which will
address the socio-economic, hygiene
and sanitation and other aspects of this
trade.
July 2006. Food Safety Newsletter 8