Street Vended Food Contamination in Kumasi, Ghana | Chapter 1 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

Street foods are foods and drinks that are ready to be consumed on the streets and generally sold. This practice is common in the heart of cities in Ghana providing valuable services by supplying easy access of food to the public at a low cost. As a result of their distinctive tastes, simplicity and their dietary importance in the customs of societies, street-sold foods (SFV's) are favoured. Street food sales also provide business opportunities for emerging industrialists, while having a substantial impact on many developed countries' financial systems. However, the protection of these foodstuffs, in particular the assessment of the handling that may result in contamination, is not assessed. The microbial contamination due to the handler involved in the processing of ready-to-eat-foods (RTE) and the use of a survey was examined in this study; researchers highlighted the critical points in order to determine the observed hygiene practises. Using the random sampling process, the study recruited 45 vendors. Water samples were obtained aseptically from the container where the food handlers used during the development of RTE to wash their hands. To collect environmental and personal hygiene data from the vendors, a formal questionnaire and an analytical checklist were used. Samples were tested for the identification of various microbiological parameters, including foodborne pathogens, and 16 (37.21%) were positive for Escherichia coli, 12 (27.91%) for Salmonella spp., 8 (18.60%) for Staphylococcus aureus, and 7 (16.28%) for Klebsiella spp. Unacceptable activities such as the use of bare hands to obtain customer money, and. Serving food at the same time and selling in unhygienic open spaces with these SFVs have been observed. These findings highlighted the importance of various management of critical points in the development of RTEs, including vendor guidance and hygiene procedures that provide policy makers with knowledge about how to deal with SFVs in order to ensure the safety of these companies.

Author(s) Details 

Mina Ofosu
Department of Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana.

Boampong Gyekye Emmanuel

Department of Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana.

View Book :- https://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/353