Street Foods are a vital part of urban life in many developing countries, including Accra, Ghana. These readily available and affordable meals are essential for many city dwellers. However, concerns about the safety and hygiene of street foods are frequently raised. A study investigated the microbial quality of street foods in Accra and identified factors that contribute to their contamination.
The research involved surveying 117 street food vendors in Accra using structured questionnaires. The vendors were questioned about their demographics, personal hygiene practices, food handling techniques, and knowledge of foodborne illnesses. Researchers also collected and analyzed 511 food samples, categorized into breakfast/snacks, main dishes, soups/sauces, and cold dishes, to assess their microbial content using standard laboratory methods.
The study revealed that while most vendors had some level of education and demonstrated good hygiene practices, significant gaps in knowledge about diarrhoea and its causes were observed. Many vendors did not associate diarrhoea with bloody stools or germs, highlighting a need for better health education. Observations of vending sites indicated generally clean surroundings, but practices such as cooking food far in advance, exposing food to flies, and handling food at ground level and by hand were identified as potential risk factors for contamination.
Microbial analysis of the food samples showed that a high percentage (69.7%) contained mesophilic bacteria. Specific contaminants found included Bacillus cereus (5.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (31.9%), and Enterobacteriaceae (33.7%). While most food samples were within acceptable microbial limits, certain items like salads, macaroni, fufu, omo tuo, and red pepper showed unacceptable levels of contamination. Alarmingly, pathogenic bacteria such as Shigella sonnei, enteroaggregative Escherichia coli, and Salmonella arizonae were isolated from some food samples, including macaroni, rice, tomato stew, and light soup.
The findings of this study underscore that street foods in Accra can indeed be a source of enteropathogens, posing a risk to public health. Therefore, the study strongly recommends comprehensive food hygiene education for street food vendors in Accra. This education should focus on key areas such as understanding the causes and transmission of diarrhoeal diseases, proper handling of equipment and cooked food, emphasizing the importance of hand-washing, and maintaining high standards of environmental hygiene at vending sites. Improving these aspects is crucial to ensure the safety of street foods and protect the health of consumers in Accra.
