title: Assessing food safety and associated food handling practices in street food vending.
abstract: Street vendors in the city of Bloemfontein were investigated in order to assess the microbiological quality of the food being sold as well as the level of hygiene conditions under which these food stalls operate. The food samples which were collected included beef, chicken and gravy, while surface samples were taken from the food preparation tables and the hands of the vendors. A structured questionnaire and checklist were used in interviews to determine the status of the vending sites and associated food handling practices. The overall microbiological quality of the foods served by the street vendors was found to be within acceptable safety limits, although the presence of specific microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and yeasts is indicative of a degree of ignorance on the part of the food handlers towards proper hygienic practices.
authors.affiliation: School for Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. rlues@cut.ac.za
authors.forename: Jan F R
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lues
authors.forename: Mpeli R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rasephei
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Theron
mesh_terms: D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003296:Cooking; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005502:Food; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005511:Food Handling; D019649:Food Industry; D005513:Food Inspection; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006920:Hygiene; D008460:Meat; D012449:Safety; D012475:Salmonella; D013019:South Africa