Assessing Food Safety Practices and Knowledge of Consumer Health Risks Among Street Food Vendors in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND

Street food (SF) plays a vital role in food security in urban and busy areas. However, inadequate hygiene practices and limited awareness of foodborne risks among vendors create significant public health concerns. This cross-sectional study was conducted among SF vendors in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh, and aimed to assess the food safety practices and health risk knowledge among SF vendors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2023, involving 350 SF vendors selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was employed to identify associations, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Majority of the vendors were male (78.6%), aged 21-40 years, and shop owners (74.6%). While 72.3% reported always washing hands before food processing and 71.7% after toilet use, however, for hygiene practices, none of the vendors reported using gloves, caps, or masks, and only 2.3% reported wearing aprons. Unsafe behaviors, such as handling food while ill (9.7%) and not sanitizing utensils (31.7%), were prevalent. Awareness of foodborne illnesses was mixed; although 63.4% identified food poisoning as a risk, knowledge of pathogens like Salmonella and Staphylococcus was low. Significant associations (p < 0.05) were found between hygiene practices and factors such as experience, employment status, personal habits, and water source. Similarly, knowledge levels were associated with gender, education, prior experience, income, and employment status of the vendors.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights critical deficiencies in food safety practices and health risk awareness among SF vendors in Rajshahi City. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted training programs, vendor education, regulatory enforcement, and health education interventions to mitigate foodborne disease risks in informal food sectors.