Safety of Street Foods and Consumer Preference: A Bibliometric Analysis in Ghana

Abstract

Street food vending is a common economic and social activity in developing countries; however, it poses potential risks to public health if proper hygiene practices are not followed. This study assessed the safety of street foods and consumer preferences in Ghana through a survey of food vendors using simple random sampling. Data collected were analyzed by tallying the respondents to each question item and percentage of responses. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26. From the data collected and analyzed, 98% of the responds knew the essence of medical screening while 2% did not know of its importance. 16% of food vendors served food with bare hands whilst 84% served food with ladle. The findings also revealed that 78% wash their hands with soap and water before and after handling food, 20% wash their hands with water only and 2% does not wash their hands at all. Again 96% cover their head before serving food while the remaining 4% does not cover their head. 98% protects food from flies and dust in other to prevent contamination whilst the remaining 2% partially covers it. The findings highlight that, although most vendors demonstrate awareness of food hygiene practices, a small proportion still fail to adhere to basic standards. Therefore, there is a pressing need for stricter enforcement of hygiene regulations, regular medical screening, and continuous education of food vendors to safeguard consumer health and ensure food safety in Ghana.