Street foods are seemingly becoming a common sight and more and more seem to consume such. Aside from passersby or community residents, common consumers maybe kids who prod their parents to buy, elementary, high school and college students who use their allowances.
Prepared or cooked food sold by vendors in a street or other public location for immediate consumption, choices can be diverse and quite cheap to the consumer because they are sold by piece. These are readily available and accessible to a hungry customer. Of course, all foods are sources of nutrients like carbohydrates, protein and fat which provide energy. Many foods are coated with flour then deep fried. The fried exterior masks what’s inside. I wonder if there is really meat in some like the chicken skin. My wish that sooner, there’ll be vegetable and fruit choices, and all be guaranteed safe and sound for short- and long-term health. At present, as one video put it, you are guaranteed heart disease with frequent consumption.
The meat like kwek-kwek, intestines, chicken head or intestines, balut, hotdog are sources of protein. Most protein-rich foods also contain fats, but the oil absorbed in deep frying and especially by flour coating, have added much to fat content. Be it chicken head or ass, consumers seem to enjoy the fried goodness. Add to that the crispiness of some products. Caution though with improper storage and reheating practices as these can increase the risk of heat-stable toxins produced by the pathogenic bacterium Clostridium perfringens (Labana et.al, 2024). Then there’s more dust with unenclosed storage.
While streetfood vending is an honest livelihood, there is unending issue on food safety which can be attributed to varied factors like food safety knowledge of vendor, personal hygiene, food preparation and storage practices, environmental pollution, and health-related matters – all of which demand attention. The vendors are not even required sanitary permits. Do they even have health certificates? Is there enough water for their use? For many, they fetch water by the pail somewhere else. How about the vendor’s personal hygiene? Go near and smell. At the least, observe for sweating. Look at their clothing and if using hand towels, look at the nails, their hair, and where they spit or wipe their hands. Stay longer and observe their handwashing, dishwashing and other practices. Look around to evaluate cleanliness of surroundings. On food safety, there had been reports of foodborne diseases. Where environment is not clean and/or is crowded, transmission of bacteria like Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli is easier.
Street vendors may be subject to a regular sanitary inspection regarding how street food merchants sell their goods to prevent contamination and keep the food they serve from any health risks. I echo the recommendations of Salon (2022) after studying food practices of streetfood vendors in 2 Southern Philippine cities that local government units (LGUs) develop policy/program related to streetfood vending and organize a seminar/training related to sanitation and personal hygiene. Labana et al (2024) emphasized regulations to prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens but also noted that regulating the hygiene and sanitation of public places where street food is sold and consumed can be challenging. It is crucial for public health authorities to implement. Same authors concluded that awareness does not guarantee agreement and adherence to food safety, hence suggested that existing interventions related to food safety issues among street food consumers be reviewed, with the goal of not only increasing awareness but also instilling consumers’ accountability for food safety.
