Street Food’s Microbiological Load and Vendors’ Food Hygiene and Safety Practices Compliance in the Schools of Cebu City

Abstract

This study utilized descriptive statistics to assess the microbiological load and the vendor’s compliance with eight international codes of food safety and hygiene principles among 51 randomly chosen street food vendors in the north and south district schools of Cebu City. Samples of kwekwek and two kinds of dipping sauce were collected and sent to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) laboratory. The compliance levels were rated based on a yes/no scale calculated from the compliance scores of every food hygiene and safety principle. The E. coli count reported from the laboratory tests showed that every food sample from all locations suggested fecal contamination. Results of the compliance scores showed that food vendors from the selected study areas have very good compliance with the use of protective clothing, provision of water at vending point, cleanliness of fingernails, and use of appropriate kitchenware for dishing out food to consumers but very poor compliance with the use of head covering, obtaining a business permit and sanitary/health card. Although the study revealed a marginally good overall compliance score, the result could imply no possible association between the vendors’ food safety and hygiene practices and the presence of E. coli in the food samples tested.