Microbial Contamination of Food and Food Safety Practices of Street Food Vendors in Selected Markets of Accra, Takoradi and Senchi, Ghana.

Abstract

Street food vending plays an important role in the economies of developing countries. The process of preparing, handling and storing food by streetfood vendors, however, leaves much to be desired as basic hygiene and food safety issues are particularly important because food and water are essential requirements for living. Failure to observe proper food safety practices exposes people to all manner of foodborne diseases and death. In Ghana, though the state agencies responsible for food safety have been providing food safety education for many years, not much has been achieved. This study sought to investigate food safety and hygienic practices of street food vendors in selected markets in Accra, Takoradi and Senchi. Primary data was derived from administration of a set of 300 questionnaires among randomly selected respondents aged 18 to 66 years who took part in the study. A total of 15 stakeholders from the FDA, EPA, GSA, MMDAs and 1 metro health directorate of the Assemblies were also interviewed using a structured interview schedule developed for the purpose. Additionally, 116 food and 22 water samples for the two seasons (Wet/Dry) were collected and analysed in the laboratory and the results analysed using Bivariate and Multivariate regression analysis. The results showed that age and education appeared to be important factors for food safety perception while education and training on food safety were factors influencing attitude on good hygiene practices. The study revealed that majority of respondents had limited knowledge on microorganisms and their effect on human health. In all, attitude/perception, age, education, training, medical screening and certification of food vendors largely influence food safety practice. The number of years in street food vending had no relationship with the adherence to food safety practices (0<0.05). Results on laboratory analysis of food and water samples for the study sites revealed varying levels of microbial contamination. It was concluded that Coliform and Salmonella sp. observed in food/water samples implies that sanitary conditions at most food vending sites were due to poor personal/food hygiene and poor temperature control of food due to frequent power outages (‘Dumsor’). The study recommended that regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Authority, Food and Drugs Authority and the Metropolitan/Municipal/District Assemblies (MMDAs) should be more aggressive in enforcing safety standards to avoid foodborne diseases and food poisoning. Community members must participate in communal labour activities during National Sanitation Day to promote sanitation and good health. Policy makers and leaders should exercise the political will and commitment to sustain, control and eliminate activities in scaling up known interventions to produce better health outcomes. This will help improve the health status of people, reduce morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe food, water, poor sanitation and hygiene