Urban street vending practices: an investigation of ethnic food safety knowledge, attitudes, and risks among untrained Chinese vendors in chinatown, Kolkata

Abstract

BackgroundThe main objective of this study is to inspect the food safety and hygiene practices of Chinese street vendors of Kolkata where the food is prepared at home following authentic Chinese recipes and served with congenial affability. This study also suggests that the right to earn livelihood should be protected for Chinese street vendors. MethodsIn the present study, we apply the scales developed by Sekar [54], Chukuezi [22], Privitera and Nesci [51], Ismail et al [30], and Cortese et al [25]. The research was carried out using a 4 section questionnaire adapted from previous scholar’s works. The final questionnaire comprises questions about demographic characteristics, socio-economic factors, and food safety and hygiene practices and customers experiences. Data collection was performed in three different ways: 1) direct participant observation, 2) in depth interview, and 3) checklist items to observe and evaluate food safety and hygiene. ResultsIndian Chinese pavement hawkers contribute to a substantial proportion of the informal economy which creates an authoritative profitable role in the city as an important wellspring of income. They provided some vague information about ethnic food safety like contamination, cooking methods, food contact applicators, handling procedures, washing instruments and hygiene practices. ConclusionThis research provides data necessary for the improvement of policies/regulations and safety standards that will sustain the quality of Chinese street foods which provide more fruitful implications for nurture gastro tourism in Chinatown.References