Assessing mobile food vendors (a.k.a. street food vendors)—methods, challenges, and lessons learned for future food-environment research

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Mobile food vendors (also known as street food vendors) may be important sources of food, particularly in minority and low-income communities. Unfortunately, there are no good data sources on where, when, or what vendors sell. The lack of a published assessment method may contribute to the relative exclusion of mobile food vendors from existing food-environment research. A goal of this study was to develop, pilot, and troubleshoot a method to assess mobile food vendors. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional assessment of mobile food vendors through direct observations and brief interviews. METHODS Using printed maps, investigators canvassed all streets in Bronx County, NY (excluding highways but including entrance and exit ramps) in 2010, looking for mobile food vendors. For each vendor identified, researchers recorded a unique identifier, the vendor’s location, and direct observations. Investigators also recorded vendors answers to where, when, and what they sold. RESULTS Of 372 identified vendors, 38% did not answer brief-interview questions (19% were “in transit”, 15% refused; others were absent from their carts/trucks/stands or with customers). About 7% of vendors who ultimately answered questions were reluctant to engage with researchers. Some vendors expressed concerns about regulatory authority; only 34% of vendors had visible permits or licenses and many vendors had improvised illegitimate-appearing set-ups. The majority of vendors (75% of those responding) felt most comfortable speaking Spanish; 5% preferred other non-English languages. Nearly a third of vendors changed selling locations (streets, neighborhoods, boroughs) day-to-day or even within a given day. There was considerable variability in times (hours, days, months) in which vendors reported doing business; for 86% of vendors, weather was a deciding factor. CONCLUSIONS Mobile food vendors have a variable and fluid presence in an urban environment. Variability in hours and locations, having most comfort with languages other than English, and reluctance to interact with individuals gathering data are principal challenges to assessment. Strategies to address assessment challenges that emerged form this project may help make mobile-vendor assessments more routine in food-environment research.

Concerning Limitations of Food-Environment Research: A Narrative Review and Commentary Framed around Obesity and Diet-Related Diseases in Youth

“…† Such focus neglects alternative, often nonintuitive, food sources such as gas stations, hardware stores, clothing outlets, book sellers, general merchandisers, salons, pharmacies, and other retailers offering food and/or drink. 87 It also neglects impermanent sources of food that may also be relevant, such as street vendors (ie, mobile food vendors 75,76,[88][89][90] and farmers' markets [91][92][93] ). Certainly, the food environment is much broader than just select food stores and restaurants.…”

Mobile food vendors in urban neighborhoods—Implications for diet and diet-related health by weather and season

“…There were also limitations: (1) being cross-sectional, this study shows correlation, not causality, (2) investigators were not able to speak with all identified vendors, but, crucially, interview participation did not differ by whether vending was “healthier”, “mixed”, or “less-healthy” (data not shown), (3) there is no way to verify if investigators identified all vendors since a great majority of vendors had no permits (Lucan et al, 2013) and there is no adequate government record or other list of vendors for enumeration, (4) investigators cannot comment on specific sales or whether vendors’ customers are local residents, the locally employed who live elsewhere, or transients; investigators can only assume, as others have,(Mwangi et al, 2002) that the kinds of items vendors offered were those that local customers (residents and/or others) tended to buy and consume, (5) results may not be generalizable to other communities.…”

“…Investigators covered all 42mi 2 of Bronx County, NY during usual business hours, requiring a total of l40 weekdays summer-fall 2010. (Lucan et al, 2013)…”

Mobile Artisanal Cheese Vending in Small Street Markets of Gran Canaria

“…In addition, controlling the street food sold is challenging because of the difficulty encountered by food vendorsin applying sanitary regulations, the large number of food vendors and their mobility [35]. Strategies to address the assessment challenges that emerged in the research of Lucan et al [36] may help make mobile vendor assessments become more routine-like in food-environment research. There is also a need to generate food and personal hygiene, and to ensure an effective system of regular hygienic-sanitary examinations with vendors and regular sample collections of the foodstuffs sold to customers [37].…”