Hazards and Critical Control Points of Street-Vending Operations in a Mountain Resort Town in Pakistan

Abstract

Hazard analyses (which included watching operations, measuring temperatures of foods throughout preparation and display, and sampling and testing for microorganisms of concern) were conducted of vending operations of chicken, rice, pulse patties, and ice cream in a resort town in Pakistan. Salmonellae were isolated from ground meat, chicken flesh (from all operations surveyed), cutting boards, egg shells (eggs used in pulse patties), and buffalo milk (used for milk shakes). Greater than 105 coliform bacteria were isolated from raw milk, ice-cream mixes and products, and pulse-patty mix. Time-temperature exposure during cooking was adequate to kill salmonellae, but there were potentials for recontamination from cutting boards, knives, and hands of the vendor. Buffalo milk was held in a freezer and not boiled by the vendor as is usual in Pakistani homes to retard spoilage. Hence, because pathogens were not killed, milk shakes were a health risk. Pulse patties were not always thoroughly cooked, so pathogens could have survived. Holding stacks of them on a griddle for several hours would have allowed germination and growth of bacterial spores and growth of resulting cells. Health agency personnel in developing countries, vendors, and consumers of these foods need to be informed of the hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

Street Vended Food in Developing World: Hazard Analyses

“…Foods are often held for several hours after cooking and this includes overnight holding at ambient temperatures, until sold, and thus can harbor high microbial populations [7,10,11,38,39,56]. Besides, some of the foods are held in the pans in which they are cooked, until sold or reheated, which results in longer holding time, hence creating favorable conditions for the growth of foodborne pathogens.…”

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. People who patronize street food, have been reported to suffer from food borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever and food poisoning [15][16][17][18][19].…”

Assessment of Hygiene Practices and Identification of Critical Control Points Relating to the Production of Skewered Meat Sold in N’Djamena-Chad

“…Only the sample skewer cooked complies against all searched germs. Other studies (Bryan et al, 1992) reported that cooking and food exposure at room temperature are two important critical points at street food. Then cooked skewers are arranged on trays for sale.…”

Hygiene Facilities and Practices for Vended Meats at Selected Highway Markets in Uganda

“…Cross-contamination is a serious risk in food vending due to inadequate knowledge on how to control it which puts the consumers of such foods at high risk of buying contaminated ready-to-eat food [18]. It is normally hard to trace the source of contamination during incidences where cross-contamination occurs as a result of intermixing products and criss-crossing of food vendors [19].…”

“…Food handling personnel play an important role in ensuring food safety throughout the chain of food preparation [19]. Food borne outbreaks are generally due to poor personal hygiene of food vendors [2].…”