Analysis of food safety and food handling knowledge among street food vendors in selected local food markets in Windhoek
Contaminated food leads to foodborne disease outbreaks (FDO) that cause millions of deaths among people every year. In Namibia, many low and middle-income consumers use street-vended foods (SVF) with compromised quality of raw materials, degraded handling and storage conditions that do not meet food safety standards. Therefore, this study was conducted by means of a descriptive, cross-sectional study of six Windhoek locations of Okuryangava, Katutura, Klein Windhoek, Kleine Kuppe, Prosperita, and Otjomuise. Food samples were purchased for laboratory analysis to determine pH, moisture and total plate count (TPC). Systems-Theoretic Accident Models and Processes (STAMP) was adopted, informed by data gathered based on event chain models drawn from street food handlers (SFH). Food-handlers were knowledgeable about the need for hygienic practices such as hand washing (94.6%), and cleaning of utensils (83.5%). Knowledge on food pathogens revealed that 72.1% did not know food pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and E. coli, meanwhile, only 28.4% did not know that parasites, fungi, and viruses act as agents to cause food poisoning. There is a none-consistent pattern of SFH knowledge with regard to hygienic practices during food handling and processing. pH values were lower (3.21±0.29) for liquid beverage than all solid foods that ranged from 6.81±0.10 to 7.54±0.16. The moisture percentage was higher (90.97±0.85) for liquid beverage than all solid foods that ranged from 37.66±1.20 to 63.28±0.89. High TPC of 5.28±0.49 Log CFU/g was detected in matangara, followed by sausage (5.06±0.99), kapana (3.07±0.47), and oshifima (2.66±1.99). STAMP with ready to use scenarios was introduced to deal with accidents that lead to FDO. Moreover, an assessment of the potency and appropriateness of food preservation methods and preservatives are ii recommended. A robust food safety regulatory regime, including a strong component of food safety training for contamination prevention should be pursued and is recommended for SVF handlers
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