Assessment of food safety of street-vended foods and nutrient knowledge of street food vendors within the Mangaung Metro municipality, Free State, South Africa

Abstract

Nutritious and safe food is essential for good health. However, not all food handlers, especially in the street food trade, know how or are willing to prepare nutrient-balanced meals. Many non-communicable diseases are associated with a poor diet, which implies that habitual consumers of street-vended foods could be at risk. Against this background, the current study aimed to analyse the nutrition knowledge and attitudes of street food vendors and the nutritional value of the food types they sell. The study adopted a cross-sectional, quantitative design using a peer-reviewed questionnaire to obtain street food handler demographics, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and food types sold. Copies of the questionnaire were administered to 100 food vendors (June–August 2022). More females (57%) than males (43%) were recruited for the sample. The nutrition knowledge responses of the vendors indicated a satisfactory knowledge level, as none of the participants scored below 33% (i.e., ≤5/15). The vendors also had a positive attitude regarding the nutritional value of food. However, the meals they sold, such as fat cakes (bread dough fried in plant oil) and processed meat, were mostly fat and energy-dense, indicating the potential to cause health issues such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Studies on nutrition knowledge, especially among this demographic group, are significantly few, and it was determined that no other study of this kind had been conducted in the Free State prior to this investigation.