Identification and management of toxicological hazards of street foods in developing countries.
Street food vending represents an important food security strategy for low-income communities worldwide. However, no comprehensive risk analysis framework yet exists as regards specific aspects of chemical/toxicological hazards in street foods. Indeed, all steps of street food production and vending can be vulnerable, from the selection of raw materials, through to the storage and preparation of meals and even the vending site, often exposed to urban pollutants. Relevant examples are cheap ingredients with illegal or undesirable residues, substances arising in poorly stored commodities (e.g., mycotoxins, histamine in scombroid fish), metals leaching from cookware, and process contaminants such as PAHs and acrylamide. As a consequence, greater awareness and preventive measures need to be implemented for coping with chemical/toxicological risk factors in a systematic and effective way. This review proposes specific points of attention for street foods preparation and vending with related hazard-tailored actions. The proposed measures in street food vending could integrate the prevention of biological risk factors, in order to promote comprehensive and up-to-date consumer safety.
Food and Veterinary Toxicology Unit, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: ilaria.proietti@uniroma3.it.
Ilaria
I
Proietti
Food and Veterinary Toxicology Unit, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Chiara
C
Frazzoli
Food and Veterinary Toxicology Unit, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Alberto
A
Mantovani
D003906:Developing Countries; D059022:Food Safety; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D018675:Toxicity Tests
Contaminants; Food processing; Food safety; Points of attention; Preventive measures; Street foods