Barriers to ensuring and sustaining street food safety in a developing economy

Publication Type

Journal Article

Name of Author

• Abigail Ampomah Adaku, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
• Irene Susana Egyir, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
• Cynthia Gadegbeku, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
• Angela Parry-Hanson Kunadu Kunadu, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
• Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
• Amos Kankponang Laar, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2024

Journal Name

Food Science and Nutrition

Abstract

Street foods are one of the highest contributors to foodborne illness in most developing economies around the world. In Ghana, diarrhoeal diseases, which are usually food or waterborne, are among the top ten causes of death. Most street food safety risks are avoidable when all food safety regulations are complied with. This paper identified and examined the barriers to the implementation of street food safety regulations in Ghana. A qualitative research approach was adopted by collecting data from nine focus group discussion sessions involving a total of 94 participants and five key informant interviews. The research uncovered three broad but interconnected categories of challenges to ensuring and sustaining street food safety: street vendor anonymity as a central challenge; poor trust in the regulatory system as root challenges; and vendor practices that risk the safety of street foods as consequential challenges. These findings have tangible policy implications. To best serve their purpose, policymakers need to understand these food safety challenges and ensure that food safety policies are responsive to the challenges.

Keywords

Street food, Barriers, Food safety, Compliance, Hygiene practices, Food security in Ghana, Vendors, Focus group discussion, Foodborne illnesses

Grantee Name(s)

Abigail Ampomah Adaku

Project Title

Innovating Out of the Urban Street Food Safety Challenges

Type of Grant

Research Award

Thematic Area

Food security and Agribusiness

Funding Statement

The authors gratefully acknowledge that this work was carried out with the financial support of the icipe-World Bank Financing Agreement No D347-3A and the World Bank-Korea Trust Fund Agreement No TF0A8639 for the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund.

Recommended Citation

Adaku, A. A., Egyir, I. S., Gadegbeku, C., Kunadu, A. P., Amanor-Boadu, V., & Laar, A. K. (2024). Barriers to ensuring and sustaining street food safety in a developing economy. Food Science and Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32190