A study about the young consumers' consumption behaviors of street foods

Abstract

As in almost every country in the world, street foods are frequently used in Turkey. To determine the preferences for these foods, a questionnaire was given to 847 individuals constituted by randomly selected high school and university students. Of the participants, 43.4% were male and 56.6% were female; the majority of them were between 19 and 22 years of age. It was found that 40.1% of the young people ate street food 2-3 times per week, whereas 23.3% were found to eat it every day. Turkish bagels, döner, boiled corn in a cup and toast are most preferred street foods. A statistically significant negative correlations were found between consumption preference scores and education, gender, and age. Although consumers know that street foods can cause contamination with microorganisms, that sellers do not pay attention to hygiene, and that these foods are raw or not cooked well, they prefer because of their cheapness, deliciousness, variety and fast service. Street foods are widely consumed in Turkish young students and because of preventing food poisoning, they should be educated about food hygiene and safety. Also, educating vendors in personal hygiene and good manufacture practice can minimize contamination risk.

The impact of nutrition literacy on the food habits among young adults in Turkey

“…Street foods in the form of fast foods were also suggested to be very popular among Turkish young people aged 19–22 years of age. The authors determined that 40.1% of the youth consumed street foods as Turkish bagels, döner, boiled corn in a cup and toast 2–3 times per week, whereas 23.3% consumed it every day [23].…”

Análise microbiológica das mãos de manipuladores de alimentos

“…2,10,12 The presence of total and thermotolerant coliforms in the samples of the handlers' hands attests the inadequate practices of hygiene and manipulation, thus serving as an important vehicle for microorganisms such as E. Coli, which indicates fecal contamination, and S. aureus, which indicates the presence of nasal material, both present in the results. 4,11,14,15 The family Enterobacteriace is the main agent of gastrointestinal infections. Among serotypes of E. coli are responsible for diarrheal diseases, constituting a serious public health problem worldwide, with over two million deaths reported each year.…”

“…Moreover, street food may reflect the economic and social condition of the country. 2,4 However, the convenience of having meals outside home poses a risk to consumers' health, since the likelihood of the microbial contamination of these foods is high, especially due to hygienic-sanitary conditions. Consequently, infections and food poisoning are the most common complications caused by the lack of satisfactory hygiene conditions.…”

Association of Unhealthy Food Practices with Nutritional Status of Adolescents

“…Overall, the junk food intake was highly prevalent in both genders (86.5%) with it being 87.4% in Saudi women and 85.6% in Saudi men [55]. A cross sectional was conducted by Sanlier N, et al [56] about the young consumers' consumption behaviors. A sample size of 847 students was selected randomly which included university and high school students.…”