| dc.description.abstract | Street foods are a common source of food eaten outside the home, which are sold by
vendors in markets, construction sites and along the streets. In the last decade, Kenya had
a rapid increase in the urban population, thus increasing the demand for the street foods.
A large proportion of the urbanites consist of job seekers and low income earners who are
the main consumers of street foods yet, there is very little information regarding street
foods consumption in Kenya. This study was therefore carried out to determine the safety
and nutritional quality of street foods consumed by the low income population in Nairobi
city.
A descriptive, cross - sectional study, with an analytical component was carried out
between the months of January and October 1999. It covered two study areas namely;
Korogocho- a slum area and an Industrial area - commercial area, surrounded by low
income residential areas.
In this study, 96 vendors were interviewed and observed and a total of 72 food samples
analysed in the laboratory for microbial load and nutritive value. 138 consumers were
interviewed and observed for consumption patterns. The nutrients analysed in the
laboratory were; proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamin C and iron, whereas vitamin A was
computed from the food composition tables. The specific pathogens analysed in the
laboratory were; Clostridium perfringens, Staphyloccocus aureus, Bacillus cereus,
Salmonella, Shigella and Entamoeba histolytica. While Escherichia coli, coliforms and
aerobic plate counts were used as indicator tests for feacal matter contamination and
general hygiene.
For analysis of the data, SPSSwin.computer programme was used for the descriptive
statistical analysis; Cut-off points were used to determine the safety level of microbial
loads. For nutritive value the recommended daily allowance for the study nutrients was
used as cut off points.
Results from the study showed that 77% of the vendors were females with the majority
of them coming from the Luo ethnic group. Approximately 56% of the consumers were
males and a larger proportion of them were from the Kikuyu ethnic group.
Majority (71%) of the consumers resided in the low income areas and most of them
preferred consuming street foods for their lunclr and snacks ( 50 and 35% respectively),
with only 14.5% having street food for breakfast and 6.5% having it for dinner.
It was evident from the study that some street foods provided adequate supply of nutrients
for the adult consumers. High contents of carbohydrates were derived from ugali and
chapati. Proteins were derived from fried fish and fish products, while fats came from
chicken skin and mara. The rich sources of vitamin C and A were sukuma wiki and fruit
salads, while roasted mutura was a rich source of Iron.
Majority (75%) of the highly contaminated foods by pathogens, were foods prepared and
sold on site with a greater proportion (85% )of the food samples coming from Korogocho
area (p=0.001). This significant difference was attributed to the low levels of
environmental sanitation and unavailability of social amenities.
The hypothesis that the degree of microbial contamination varies with type of food was
supported in this study, whereby high aerobic plate counts were noted in potatoe based
foods in compared to cereal and grain products (p=0.007). S. aureus counts were high
for meat, poultry and eggs relative to levels in other food groups (p= 0.021). As for E.
coli, counts were high for meats, poultry and eggs (p=0.025).This was a clear indication
of faecal contamination on these foods. The high levels of coliforms in the meats was
however an indication of poor sanitary conditions around the vending site. The study
identified the major physiological problems experienced by consumers as stomachaches,
diarrhoea and vomiting, which were found to originate from consuming street
foods that had been highly contaminated with E. Coli(> J 06), C. perfringens(> J 05), and
S. aureus (> 106).
The street foods that had low levels of nutrients and high bacterial contamination were
due to improper food handling practices and poor methods of food preparation and
storage.
Its recommended that for adequate supply of nutrients, there ought to be an increase in
the amounts of servings per consumer and proper food combination. Also to minimize
the high microbial counts on foods, it is recommended that there should be simple but
efficient storage facilities for the left over foods. Action should be taken to ensure that
there is proper environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and good food handling
practices by both vendors and consumers. The government should ensure that the social
amenities are adequately supplied in these areas if the quality of the street foods is to be
improved in terms of nutrient availability and safety. | en |
