CARIBBEAN REGIONAL WORKING GROUP

ON STREET FOOD VENDORS

23-25 October 2002Corboril, Castries, St. Lucia

REPORT OF FAO, PAHO, AND BNSI

Prepared byCarmen Dardano, Nutrition Officer, FAO-SLAC

27 February 2003

BNSI

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.

I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................... 2

II. OPENING SESSION............................................................................. 2

III. DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORKING GROUP.................................... 2

1. Round Table Discussion: Overview on Street Food Vendors:

PAHO, CFNI, and FAO............................................................. 3

2. Presentation Situation Analysis of Street Food Vendors.... 3

IV. SWOT ANALYSIS RESULT.................................................................. 10

V. CONCLUSION....................................................................................... 13

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................... 13

ANNEXES

1. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS...................................................................... 15

2. AGENDA OF THE WORKING GROUP................................................. 19

3. REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION............................................................. 23

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I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Food and Agriculture Organization defines street food as ready-to-eat foodprepared and sold by vendors and hawkers especially in streets and other similar publicplaces.

2. The growing street food sector in the Caribbean countries has induced much concernbetween consumer and national authorities. The Caribbean governments haverecognised that street foods play an important socio-economic role in terms ofemployment potential, special income for women, and in serving the food at pricesaffordable to the lower and middle-income groups.

3. The Working Group on Street Food Vendors was held in Castries, St. Lucia, from 23to 25 October 2002. The meeting was attended by 18 national officers from the healthand agriculture sectors, each from a different country of the English-speaking CaribbeanRegion (17 countries in total). The list of participants is appended as Annex 1 and theagenda of the meeting is in Annex 2.

II. OPENING SESSION

4. The Permanent Secretary of Health, from St. Lucia welcomed the participants andoutlined the involvement of the Ministry in supervising, training and controlling the streetfood vendors. He mentioned the importance of food safety in this sector and the needfor Caribbean countries to establish the action plan to strengthen this sector, the actualgrowing of the street vending is very high. Dr. Lloyd Webb, Medical Veterinary Officer,PAHO, thanked the Government of St. Lucia for hosting the Working Group, andoutlined the role of the health inspector in training this sector in good practice andhygiene, and HACPP principles to reduce the potential for serious food poisoningoutbreaks. Miss Anthea Ishmael from BNSI addressed the importance of the standardsand codes of practices for street vendors. The Food and Nutrition Officer from SLACwelcome the participants on behalf of the FAO Sub-Regional Representative andstressed the importance FAO gave to street food vendors, mentioning the socio-economic aspect of this sector and concluded by giving a vote of thanks to the St. LuciaAuthorities for hosting the meeting.

III. DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORKING GROUP

5. Following the overview of the objectives and the adoption of the agenda, Miss Ishmaelindicated in her introduction that the major issue to be addressed by the working group isthe formulation of the strategy and the development of the regional plan of action toimprove the safety of street food vendors and the establishment of the codes of practicefor the region that can be used and adapted in each Caribbean country. Miss Ishmaeldrew the attention of the experts to the background and reference papers available forthe working group.

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1. Roundtable Discussion: Overview on Street Food Vendors - PAHO, CFNIand FAO

6. PAHO/CPC presented an overview of its mission on food, the strategic direction, theimpact of politics, the Conference Policy Statement, the Caribbean Co-operation inHealth Initiative, the Declaration on Street Foods, the specific objective to support streetfood, how can PAHO help, the consideration for co-ordination areas in the food chain,the important food-borne pathogens, the challenges in street foods and thestrengthening of technical co-operation in food programmes in the English-speakingCaribbean region between PAHO,FAO,IICA and the CARICOM Secretariat.

7. CFNI reviewed the prevalence of street food vending, type of food, benefits, potentialsources of problems, and presented the results of the Jamaica Street Food Survey -Health and Nutrition Aspects (1986-1987) and we were informed that the CFNI ispreparing a manual for street food vendor’s training in food safety.

8. FAO presented the collaboration with a number of countries in various parts of theworld in the evaluation of street food quality, safety and socio-economics and inimplementing recommendations for improvement. The codes of practice for street foodvendors, the socio-economic aspects, the role of the national authorities, the regulatoryaspects, the development of appropriate technology, the consumer perceptions, the roleof women and the educational training needs were addressed.

2. Situation Analysis of Street Food Vendors: Country Presentations

A. Number of street vendors, type of vendors and type of food

9. The street food sector has been growing rapidly all over the world and the Caribbeanregion is not an exception. There is a proliferation of street-side food vendors onweekends, during festive seasons such carnival, fish festival, etc. The reason why thepopularity of street food vending is growing rapidly has many other reasons, apart fromemployment generation. These are easy accessibility, variety in taste, low cost, freshand nutritious food and also a social support system for the under-privileged urbanpopulation.

10. Additionally, food vending is often seen as a relatively quick and easy avenue toraise funds to assist with education, medical expenses and to supplement family income.Many temporarily unemployed persons resort to street vending in order to maintain theirstandard of living. Due to the diversity in categories of persons engaged in streetvending it has been noted that the level of sanitation and general conditions associatedwith these vending operations are inconsistent in the majority of the Caribbeancountries.

11. The significant role of street food in this area is offering employment, activating themarket economy of the countries and enriching food supply to communities andgovernment workers as well as convenient food supply to pupils and students in thesurrounding communities. However, quality and safety problems, which arise from thisnew trend in food supply and sales was a point of concern in the Health Inspectors’

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Offices. Thus, the need to control street food in order to ensure safety and to reduce theoccurrence of food-borne diseases in the countries is essential.

12. As Table 1 shows, the number and the classification of food vendors varies from onecountry to the other. The modality of food vendors are mobile, stationary or itinerant.The facilities are all types: kiosks, vans with some food service equipment, hawker’skiosks, baskets and plastic boxes. In the majority of cases, the facilities do not complainabout the recommendations of the health inspector.

Table 1Number and Type of Street Food Vendors

Countries Number StreetFood Vendors

Types of Vendors or Categories

Antigua 84* Mobile, stationary, itinerantAnguilla 27

(85 applications)Cottage Scale 1%, Prepare at home 75%, prepareonsite 11%, prepare on food premises 13%

Bahamas 67 only forNew Providence

99 cents breakfast 18, cooked food 17, jerk vendor 10,hot dog 12, mobile food van 10,

Barbados 5000 Mobile, stationary and itinerantBritish Virgin Is 23 Mobile 11, fixed 12, home preparationDominica 328 Mobile, itinerant, school vendors, fixed vendorsGrenada 263 Mobile, itinerant, school vendors, fixed vendors, specific

to social events. Home preparation and site.Guyana 2002* Mobile, stationary, itinerant.Jamaica 10000 a 15,000* Mobile, stationary, itinerantSt. Kitts 150* Mobile, stationaryNevis 29 Itinerant, fixedSuriname 400* Mobile, itinerant, stationary, school vendorsSt. Lucia 790 Mobile canteen, school vendors, itinerant, BBQ vendorsSt. Vincent 209 Itinerant, school vendors, fixed vendorsMontserrat 16 Itinerant, food vendors, mobile*data is approximate

B. Types of Food Sold by Street Vendors (ready to eat food)

13. The different categories of food sold by vendors are presented in Table 2. The mostcommon meat-based products are categorized based on animal source. Juice, fruit,bread, cake, cooked food, frozen, stuffed bakes, ice pops, ice cream and otherconfectioneries are also included.

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Table 2Types of Ready-to-Eat Food

Reported by the Participants’ Countries

Food Type of preparation

Cattle Beef hamburgers, beef pies, beef and hops black pudding,beef roti, cheese pies, cow heel soup, jerked beef, patties

Pig BBQ pork ribs, black pudding, hot dog, ham sandwiches, hamand hops

Chicken BBQ, hot dogs, pies, chicken foot souse, fried chicken, jerked,stewed, chicken curry, dahls

Fish BBQ, curried, pies, roti, stewed, steamed, conch roti, tunaGoat roti, currySheep BBQ, stewed, mutton chopsTurkey Turkey breast sandwichesOther foods Corn, ice pops, ice cream, stuffed bake, coconut water, fruit

juice, tamarind balls, coconut balls, macaroni and cheese,jam, jelly

C. Sanitary Conditions

14. In most of the Caribbean countries, more than half of street vendors prepare items athome and transport the items to the site for sale. Thus, improper handling during storageand transportation could result in outbreaks of food-borne disease. For the ones thatprepared food on site, health risks could occur, since the necessary infrastructure is notin place.

15. The structural requirements, sanitary facilities, potable water supply requirement,waste handling requirements, and general hygiene established by the health system forpreparing and handling food safely at home level are not present.

16. Food vendors are not equipped with proper facilities for the storage of hot and coldfoods. Cold foods are stored in flasks or coolers stacked with ice. Temperatures are notmaintained for prolonged periods of vending. Hot foods are stored in plastic, coolers,aluminium or enamel coated covered containers and again hot temperatures are notmaintained. In some of the countries the raw chicken and hamburger patties are incontainers at ambient temperature, thus poor food hygiene practices set the stage forserious food-borne outbreaks where meat is not thoroughly cooked.

17. However, vendors with fixed stalls provide hot meals and cold foods, as they areequipped with stoves and refrigerators. Coal stoves and barbecue grills are also used.

18. Water. Running water is not often available and in some stalls, water is conveyed tothe stall in containers, ice cooler, water bottles, bowls and other things. The quantitiesare grossly inadequate for effective washing and disinfecting of utensils and the veryvital hygienic practice of hand washing. Vendors however have access to potable water

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for hand-washing at the vending site. Other methods reported include standpipes a fewfeet away or pipe in house where vending is done in front of the family home. In somecountries, vendors recognise the need to wash hands continuously while preparing food,however, adequate hand washing is not observed during the inspection period. A bowlwith water is the most popular choice but there are cases where the water is notchanged often enough. Soap and paper towels are available at few of the vending sites.

19. There is no sanitation of equipment and utensils. In one of the participant countries,50% of stalls are furnished with a one compartment sink and potable water supply whilethe other 50% have water stored in containers which most of the time is inadequate.None of the stalls have hand-washing facilities.

20. Food Distribution. The use of personal gloves is encouraged in some of thecountries, however, it is required that appropriate implements such as scoops, tongs,fork and serving utensils are utilised. In some sites, foods are generally served in asingle service article. However, the handling techniques are poor and dispensingutensils are inadequate. Normally, the cooking and serving utensils are carried backhome for cleansing. Food is often served in disposable containers with disposable eatingutensils.

21. Food Storage. The storage conditions leave much to be desired. There no hotholding facilities, certain food items are sometimes stored in wax sealed card boxes. Afew stalls are furnished with refrigerating facilities. In the majority of the cases food isstored at room temperature in plastic container. The uncooked food products, especiallymeat and poultry are left at ambient temperature for long hours. In some countries,street food vendors are discouraged from selling items which require cold storage.

22. Personal Hygienic. In the majority of the countries, the vendors and the assistantsare practising good personal hygiene; uniforms and aprons are clean and neat. Theypresent to the public in a neat, clean and tidy manner. There is no evidence of smokingduring vending or of infected cuts or sores which could be a source of contamination onfood. Some use hats, cap or hair nets, but in some countries very few operationsincorporate the use of hair nets as it is not a requirement under the present legislation.

23. Waste Storage. A large group of vendors had facilities for the storage of refuse in amanner that protects food and food contact surfaces from being contaminated and thepremises from being littered. In most cases, plastic bags or a small bin is provided;however, packaging materials and food scraps are often indiscriminately andaccidentally deposited by consumers at the service site. The failure to remove the littercreates unsightly conditions which also serve to attract rodents and insects.

D. Regulatory aspects (legislation, codes of practice and standards)

24. Table 3 presents the situation of the countries with regard to policy, legislation,codes of practice, standards, licenses and registration. As Table 3 shows, manycountries still did not have policies, code of practices, legislation and regulations. Allcountries reported having a Public Health Act, but there is not any specific law relating tostreet food vending.

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25. Policy. Only 20% of the countries report that they do have some kind of policy inrelation to street food vendors. There is confusion between policy, legislation andregulations within the participating countries. The meeting addressed the importance ofpreparing and implementing specific policies to ensure sustainable improvement ofstreet food policies to support this sector.

Table 3Regulatory Aspect of Street Food Vendors

Countries Policy Licences Code of practices/ standards

Legislation Registration

Antigua None None Yes Draft Outdated NoAnguilla None Yes Voluntary None YesBarbados Yes Yes Yes Yes YesBahamas Yes Yes Yes Yes YesBritish Virgin I. None Trade Voluntary None YesDominica None None None None YesGrenada None None Yes Yes YesGuyana None None None None OutdatedJamaica None Yes None None YesMontserrat None None None None YesNevis Yes Yes None None YesSt. Kitts None None None Outdated YesSt. Vincent Yes None None Outdated YesSt. Lucia None Yes Draft code None YesSuriname None Yes None None No

26. Legislation. The countries have the Public Health Act and the Food and Drug Act.But these Acts do not address issues regarding street food vendors. In the majority ofthe Caribbean countries, there are no regulations which specifically address street foodvendors.

27. In Barbados the control and regulation of food for sale by vendors on streets fallunder the Health Services Act CAP 44, which also includes The Health Services FoodHygiene Regulations 1969, Health Services Restaurant Regulations 1969, and BuildingRegulations. These regulations set out what should be in place and what conditions thevendor should operate under. Penalties are also in place if the vendor fails to complywith the directions of the officer.

28. The meeting recommended scientific approaches in the development of suchregulations, keeping in mind the special characteristics of street food such as traditionaltechnologies, low levels of investment and limited access to municipal facilities such aswater and waste disposal.

29. Licence. As the table shows, 44% of the participant’s countries are requiringlicences to operate. It was not clear if the licences include restrictions on type of food tobe sold, the location where they may be sold, or any other requirement and essential

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condition to be fulfilled by the vendors in order to obtain the licence. The meeting felt thatthe licences could be valid for one year would go a long way toward bringing about ameasure of confidence to vendors. This measure of security could motivate them toimprove their food-handling practices through introduction of appropriate and simplepractices and technologies suiting their specific operation.

30. In Barbados, the following operating procedures are used in order to obtain thelicense:

31. Before an individual is allowed to operate as a street vendor, he must seekpermission from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport and Works

• At the polyclinic where the vendor expects to operate from, he must first apply for afood business license, which is valid for one year or a temporary restaurant licensewhich can be valid for a maximum of thirty days, which is normally used at events ofshort duration.

� The vendor’s premises will be inspected in regards to storage, food contact surfaces,working space, vector control, water and recommendations will be made to have anyunsatisfactory conditions remedied. The vehicles being used to transport food, grills,and other equipment are also looked at critically. If the vendor is not operating in theparticular catchment, the Environmental Health Office findings are faxed to the areawhich is responsible.

• The Ministry of Transport and Works is responsible for giving permission for thesiting of these stalls.

� It is desirable for a single designated office within the local authority to beresponsible for all aspects of licensing of street food vendors.

32. Codes of practice/standards. Only four countries have a code of practice orstandards to guide the street food vendors to operate in a manner conducive to foodsafety. The meeting recommended that the general code recommended by the nationalfood control authorities, could be further modified as necessary by the local authorities tosuit the local situation. Codes of practice recommended by the joint FAO/WHO CodexAlimentarius Commission could provide useful guidance in this area.

33. BNSI of Barbados and Grenada have standards under the Codex Alimentarius forcodes of practice for food handlers.

34. Registration. All countries report to have a mechanism in which the street foodvendors are registered. The meeting was of the opinion that mechanisms that they havein place have to be reviewed and updated.

35. Licensing, registration and development of codes of practice were stressed asessential components of sound regulations for street foods. Codes of practice should beestablished by national authorities for adoption to the particular circumstances at thelocation at which they are to be implemented.

E. Training and Consumer Education

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36. In all countries, the Health Department, through the Environmental Health Officer,conducts food handlers training in some countries once a month, twice a year or beforea festival. They have developed special material, leaflets, and booklet and havesystematic training like Jamaica and Barbados.

37. In Barbados, the Environmental Health Department has been undertaking trainingprogrammes for food handlers for a number of years, and within recent times thistraining has been standardized throughout the catchments. All individuals participatingin the island’s major cultural events: NGOs, community events, church groups, OistinsFish Festival, Baxters Road Fish Fry, etc. – have been targeted.

38. Training of food handlers has been on-going at the Barbados Community College(BCC) Hospitality Institute for the last eight years, where any student entering theCollege must undertake eighteen hours of training in Food Sanitation and Safety in thefirst term. About 950 students have benefited from this programme.

39. A programme called the H2B, also at the Barbados Community College, was startedtwo years ago. In this program, individuals seeking employment in the USA in theHospitality field have to undergo eighteen hours of food sanitation and safety, as part ofthe overall course. To date, 451 students have benefited from this training. At thecatchment level, training of food handlers is an ongoing process

40. The training of trainers in the Island is sporadic. Only in Barbados, through TheBarbados Community College and PAHO, have trainers been trained. Twenty-fourEnvironmental Health Officers have been trained as trainers of trainers. The training isan 18-hour certificate course.

41. A nine-module trainers’ manual has been developed with its objectives, activities,and evaluations clearly stated. Handouts have also been prepared, along with locallyproduced videos. All material presented is standardised, so that all catchments are doingthe same thing. Protocol is also in place with the BCC, which must be followed.

42. The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute is planning to publish a Street FoodVendor’s Training Manual in Food Safety. The manual includes instructor’s manual,participant’s handbook, instructor’s presentation of slides, educational videos. Technicalcontent of the manual is an overview of street vending, how diseases are spread andcontrolled and potential hazards in street vending.

43. With the exception of Barbados, none of the countries has a consumer educationprogramme with respect to food quality standards and safety control issues.

44. The meeting recognised that the education and training of food handlers, vendorsand consumers of street foods was a fundamental and most urgent need. The purposesof such programmes have to be to make them aware of hygienic, sanitary andtechnological aspects of street food vending and consumption. Consumers who areaware of food hygiene and nutritional requirements become discriminating buyers andthereby not only protect themselves and their families, but also place pressure onvendors to practise good food-handling and preparation practices.

45. The meeting recommended the strengthening of training activities, keeping in viewthe lessons learned from other regions. The aims of training programmes should be

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clearly identified. Selection of trainers and the design of training modules should beconsidered a key element of a successful programme. The design of training modulesshould meet the specific requirements of each category of trainers, whether foodinspectors, vendors or consumers. The meeting stressed the particular importance oftraining of trainers and emphasised the key role of inspector or public health inspectorsbelonging to the local body in ensuring the quality and safety of street food.

F. Common problem in street food vendors

46. In the Caribbean Region the common problems in street food vendors are:

• Poor food-handling practices and poor sanitation condition at the site• Inadequate technologies to prepare, store and distribute food• No regulatory aspect put in place to control and monitor street food vendors• Lack of knowledge on good manufacturing practices• Lack of support from government

IV. SWOT ANALYSIS RESULT

47. To design a regional plan of action to improve food quality and safety of street foodand implement a food safety and quality system, a SWOT analysis was conducted toidentify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in this sector. The intent ofthe analysis was to help determine:• The current state of street food vending, and identify the needs• Identify the capacity of Caribbean countries to train and monitor the sector• Identify the factors which impact on the safety and quality of street food• Promote the exchange of experiences and co-operation within Caribbean countries• The potential for the future and identify goals and strategies for achieving that future• The regional plan of action

48. From such analysis the necessary policies, strategies, codes of practice, and thetraining programme will be determined to ensure compliance with the standardrequirements of food quality and food safety for street food vendors.

49. Participants were asked to concentrate on maintaining and preserving theirstrengths and eliminating their weakness. They were asked to focus on theiropportunities, yet recognise their impending threats and write down the priority issues inorder to develop the regional plan of action.

50. The following is a compilation of the results of the SWOT analysis and the priorities:

Strengths• Food handler legislation- some islands• Registration process and photo ID –some islands• Codes of practice - some available• Guidelines available (Codex)• Willingness to be educated, skilled personnel in information and media available.• Heightened awareness created, wide range of consumers have been targeted.

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Consumers want more information• Training manual, locally produced film and standardised training programme

conducted by Environmental Health officer (Barbados and Jamaica)• Potable water supply- some countries• Mobile units- well equipped

Weaknesses• Out of date legislation, archaic law, not specific to street food vendors• Lack of political will to regulate sector; no policy document for street food vending,

lack of public pressure for change and absence of legal advisors.• Lack of standards among countries, inadequacy in standard-forming bodies• Limited legal drafting power (personnel), small fines, weak penalties• No consistency in training, no harmonisation/standardisation• No training programme (manuals), irrelevance of training material (not suited to own

situation); lack of structured training programme• High cost to train personnel and to acquire proper materials• Lack of proper resources (both human and material)• Limited skilled personnel• Lack of mandatory training for food vendors• No training unit, lack of equipment and staff constraints• Educational background of food vendors/consumer• Financial resources (lack)• Lack of knowledgeable consumers• Make shift stalls inappropriate building material and structure, exposed food, basic

amenities absent and lacks of standardise design and layout• Structures not up to standard, failure to provide approved solid waste containers.

Poor drainage• Vendors’ unwillingness to adopt proper sanitation techniques; no voluntary codes of

practice• Duplication of effort, no formalised arrangement for information sharing• Absence of both internal and regional networking• Lack of support from some agencies, inability to obtain adequate inter-sectoral

support

Opportunities• Technical assistance available to amend• International agencies like PAHO, FAO and IICA are helping the countries to update

the legislation and the food control system of some countries in the region.• If the legislation and regulation is put in place, supervision and monitoring of the

street food vendors will be carried out• Countries are available to establish a regional standards, for compliance with codes

of practice recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission,ALINORM 93/13-A; ALINORM 93/15-2; ALINORM 93-28-4; ALINORM 93/36;ALINORM 95/28 – Draft Codes of Practices on Street Foods in Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica.

• Improvement in food handling techniques, increase in use of technology• Food handling permits received once training administered• Availability of potable water• Use of single packaging material

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• No permanent structure, easily removed• Possibility for collaboration between countries exist• Linkage and support with agriculture, tourism, Bureau of Standards, police, health

Threats• Accelerating of growth or proliferation in this informal sector• Potential for serious food poisoning outbreaks• Potential public health problems• High risk operation

51. From the result of SWOT analysis six priorities areas were established and theRegional Plan of Action to improve the safety and quality of street food were drafted.

PRIORITIES AREAS

1. LEGAL ASPECTS• Legal aspect of street food vending• Update legislation,• Minimal standards/codes of practice• Clear policy - political will• Registered and licensed

2. EDUCATION AND TRAINING• Training street food vendors• Development of a training programme• Development of a training manual• Development of training material

Training of trainers• Prepare a training programme• Develop training material

Consumer Education• Development a consumer education programme• Development a consumer education campaign

3. INFRASTRUCTURE• Provide designated well equipped vending areas with appropriate infrastructure and

maintenance• Adequate facilities, storage for hot and cold, garbage storage• Improvement of technology used in food preparation, e.g. BBQ with covers• Provide with adequate potable water available at the stalls• All supportive services must be available e.g. water, electricity• To strengthen laboratory facilities for the testing of food samples• A methodology must be put in place for the taking of samples

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4. SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS• Sharing of information and technology in street food vending• Develop, update and monitor database• Upgrade data collection and recording system• Identification of all food vendors

5. REGIONAL COLLABORATION• Integration and harmonisation of the work of all agencies involved

6. REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION

See Annex 3 for Regional Plan of Action.

V. CONCLUSION

52. The working group made conclusion as set out below:

1. In some of the countries, many of the establishments operate below theacceptable public health standards.

2. The existing sanitary conditions are poor. No hand washing facilities, no hotwater supply, unscreened openings, lack of proper equipment and utensils tohandle foods, improper garbage storage facilities, exposure of food to dust,inadequate water supply, no sanitation, no toilet facilities, poor storage for singleservice articles, improper attire and health certificates in some instance.

3. The country authorities have to regulate this sector and establish measures ofdiscipline within the street food trade. The public health authorities could providetechnical guidance and organise monitoring and educational programmes.

4. A food quality and food safety system for street food vendors with an integratedapproach has to be established in order to train, supervise, monitor and guide thefood vendors to improve their food-handling practices.

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

53. The working group made recommendations as set out below:

1. Prepare and implement specific policy to ensure sustainable improvement ofstreet food policies to support this sector.

2. Use scientific approaches in the development of regulations for street foodvendors, keeping in mind the special characteristics of street food such astraditional technologies, low levels of investment and restricted access tomunicipal facilities such a water and waste disposal.

3. Licensing, registration and codes of practice at national and regional levels needto be established as essential components of sound regulations for street foods.

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4. Codes of practice should be established by national authorities for adoption to theparticular circumstances at the location at which they are to be implemented.

5. Education and training of food handlers, vendors and consumers of street foodwas a fundamental and most urgent need. The purposes of such programmeshave to be to make them aware of hygienic, sanitary and technological aspects ofstreet food vending and consumption.

6. Strengthening of training activities, keeping in view the lessons learned from otherregions. The aims of training programmes should be clearly identified. Selectionof trainers and the design of training modules should be considered key elementsof a successful programme. The design of training modules should meet thespecific requirements of each category of trainers, whether food inspectors,vendors or consumers.

7. Promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences towards improving streetfood technologies and training methodologies. Consideration of electronicnetworking for exchange of information.

8. Particular importance must be given to training of trainers and the key role ofinspectors or public health inspectors belonging to the local body in ensuring thequality and safety of street food vendors needs to be emphasised.

9. Develop a pilot programme in three or four countries to establish the food safetyand food quality system for street food vendors.

10. Conduct a “positive deviancy” study, in one or more Caribbean countries, of bestpractices of street vendors to identify acceptable, feasible practices andbehaviours of actual street food vendors that result in safe and quality food.

11. International agencies like PAHO and FAO must work together to strengthen thefood safety and quality of the street food vending sector.

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ANNEX 1LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

EXPERT MEETINGSTREET FOOD VENDORS

23-25 OCTOBER 2002

COUNTRY NAME OF PARTICIPANT ORGANIZATION AND ADDRESSAnguilla Ambrell I Richardson Primary Health Department

Ministry of Health and Social SecurityRoseauDominicaTel No: 1-264-497-2575 (H) 1-264-497-2631 (W)Fax No: 1-264-497-5486E-mail: brellout2001@yahoo.com

Antigua Andrea Philip-Marshall Central Board of HealthMinistry of HealthAll Saints RoadSt. John’sAntiguaTel No: 1-268-460-6251 (H) 1-268-462-2936 (W)Fax No: 1-268-460-5992E-mail:andreapmarshall@hotmail.com

Bahamas Timothy Munroe Department of Environmental HealthServicesNassau, BahamasP.O. Box N9060Tel No: 1-242- 323-4854 (H) 322-2576 (W)Fax No: 1-242-323-2910E-mail: carlallenus@yahoo.com

Barbados Colin Browne Ministry of HealthEnvironmental Health DepartmentJemmotts LaneSt. Michael, BarbadosTel No: 1 –246-426-5080/4234571Fax No:

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E-mail:coborlando@hotmail.com

British VirginIslands

Alfred Reid Environmental Health DivisionP.O. Box 439Road Town, TortolaBritish Virgin IslandsTel No: 1-284-468-3701 ext 4953;5110Fax No: 1-284-494-7430E-mail: Reid-alfred@hotmail.com orEvareid@surfbvi.com

Dominica Boniface Xavier Environmental Health Dept.Ministry of Health and Social SecurityRoseauDominicaTel: 1-767-448-2401 ext 3468Fax: 1-767-6086E-mail: environhealth@cwdom.dm

Grenada Francis Balwant Ministry of Health and theEnvironmentEnvironmental Health DepartmentBotanical GardensTanteen, St. George’sGrenadaTel No: 1-473-440-3485Fax No: 1-473-440-4127E-mail:

Guyana Ignatius Merai Regional Environmental OfficerRegion 5Fort Wellington, West BerbiceGuyanaTel No:Fax No:E-mail:

Jamaica Noel Reid Western Regional Health AuthorityCornwall Regional HospitalMontego BayJamaicaTel No: 1-876-952-1124 or 952-3678Fax No: 1-876-952-4074E-mail:

Audrey Morris Caribbean Food and Nutrition InstituteUWI CampusP.O. Box 140Mona, Kingston 7

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Tel: 1-876-927-1540-1Fax: 1-876-952-1124E-mail: morrisau@cfni.paho.org

Montserrat Gerard Ferctus Ministry of HealthP.O. Box 24MontserratTel No: 1-664-491-2880Fax No:E-mail:

St. Kitts-Nevis Anthony Webbe Ministry of HealthEnvironmental Health DepartmentAdministrative BuildingCharlestownNevisTel No: (869) 469-5521 ext 2052Fax No: Ministry of HealthE-mail:

Errol Rawlins Environmental Health DepartmentConnell StreetBasseterreSt. KittsTel: 1-869-465-2521 ext 1271Fax: 1-869-466-2296E-mail: darytaw@thecable.net

St. Lucia Xanthe Dubuison Ministiry of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheriesLivestock Services DivisionGovernment BuildingWater Front,CastriesSt. LuciaTel No: 1-758-450-3213Fax No: 1-758-450-1185E-mail: dxanthe@hotmail.comor vetunit @slumaffe.org

Mkabi Walcott Bureau of Standards4th Floor Heralding Rock BuildingWaterfront, CastriesSt. LuciaTel No: 1-758-4530049Fax No:

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E-mail: m.walcott@slbs.org.lc orslbs@candw.lc

Parker Ragnanan Ministry of HealthChaussee RoadCastreesSt. LuciaTel: 1-758-452-2859Fax: 1-758-451-9892E-mail: health@candw.lc

St. Vincent &The Grenadines

Cecil Smith Public Health DepartmentKingstownSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesTel: 1-784-456-1991 (w)Tel: 1-784-458-3005Fax:E-mail: cecil-smith@hotmail.com

Suriname Rajindec Ghisaidoobe Public Health MinistryRodekruis Laan #3SurinameTel No: (597) 499061; (597)498609Fax No: 498609E-mail: phlabsur@yahoo.com

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ANNEX 2AGENDA OF THE WORKING GROUP

TECHNICAL INFORMATION NOTE

STREET FOOD VENDORS WORKING GROUPFOR

DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN TO STRENGTHEN THESTREET FOOD VENDORS IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION

VILLA SANTA MARIACORBORIL, CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA

OCTOBER 23-25, 2002

Introduction

It is recognized that street foods play an important socio-economic role interms of employment potential, particularly for women, and in serving thefood and nutritional requirements of consumers at prices affordable to thelower and middle income groups. It is estimated that in several major citiesof the world the equivalent of millions of US dollars changes hand everyday through the sale of street foods. The economic significance of streetfoods is therefore immense. Street foods have become a big part of thepresent day urban scenario of many countries, even though it may notalways be formally recognized or acknowledged.

While there are many positive aspects of street foods, there are alsoseveral negative aspects. The negative aspects include encroachment onroadsides and pavements, creation of problems of hygiene and sanitation,potential disturbance in the lives of other citizens, and a possiblecontribution to the deterioration of law and order within the city. It must berecognized that the enlightened citizen's concerns in these matters aregenuine. Thus, while local bodies must deal with the potential healthhazards of street foods, at the same time they should also be equallyconcerned about the total environment in which the citizenry of the city hasto live and function. Basically it is a matter of cognizance of the issues andproblems involved. This calls for long-term planning of the city

BNSI

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infrastructure, provision of adequate civic amenities, and efficient overallmanagement of the same.

Objectives of the working group1. Formulation of a strategy, for strengthening the hygienic practices and

guidelines for street food vendors and to identify the need and the capacity ofthe Caribbean countries to train, and monitoring this sector.

2. Develop a regional plan of action to improve the safety of street foods andestablish a regional code of practice for street food vendors than can be usedand adapted in each Caribbean country.

3. Identify the factor (technical, institutional, economic) which impact on thesafety of street foods in the Caribbean region

4. Promote the change of experience and co-operation within the CaribbeanRegion

List of Participants (Tentative)The number of participants in the working group will be around 14 from:• Public Sector: Agriculture, Health, Tourism• Private Sector: Consumers Association

Background PapersEach of the participants has to prepare a report on the situation analysis of thestreet food vendors in his/her country. The purpose of this report is to use it as aguideline for establishing the strategy mentioned above. The following aspectshave to be included in the report:♦ Official statistics about the number of food vendors♦ Type of food vendors: Food prepared in small- or cottage-scale factories and

brought to the street food stall for sale; food prepared at the home of thevendor and brought to the street food stall for sale; and foods prepared at thestreet food stall itself and sold.

♦ Economic and social aspect.♦ Sanitary conditions.♦ Storage conditions.♦ Condition of the technology used in the preparation, preservation, and

distribution of street foods.♦ Common food handling techniques.♦ Cleaning of utensils and water quality (condition).♦ Food control regulation and code of practices for street food vendors.♦ Educational programs and training of food vendors carried out during the last

two years, resources available, material development, training moduledevelopment (formal training program) course for training of trainers.

♦ Educational program for the consumer.♦ The role of the public health authorities and co-ordination between various

agencies concerned with street food control issues.♦ Identification of possible intervention, strategy and future activities.♦ Recommendations.

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Air travel InformationAttached is the itinerary that has been arranged for your country. Please ask theparticipant to collect the ticket from the airline or agent for the airline on whichhe/she will be travelling by October 16th. Should any problems be encountered,please contact Miss Ishmael at telephone (246) 426-3870 or fax (246) 436-1495,or by email: aishmael@bnsi.com.bb. Please see attached itinerary.

Ground TransportationArrangements have been made for a mini-bus to pick up theparticipants at the airport. The driver will display a sign saying“FAO/PAHO Working Group”.

DRAFT AGENDAWORKING GROUP

DAY 1 08:30 - 09:30 0pening ceremony (Health Authorities to assist) 09:30 -10:00 Coffee break10:00 - 10:30 Overview of the objectives of the workshop

(Ms Anthea Ishmael)10:30 -11:30 Round table discussion: overview on street food vendors -

PAHO, CFNI and FAODiscussion

11:30 – 12:50 Countries Presentations on Situation analysis of Streetfood vendors by participants of the following:(Antigua Anguilla Barbados Bahamas)Discussion

12:50 – 13:50 Lunch13:50 – 15:10 Countries Presentations on Situation analysis of Street

food vendors by participants of the following:(Belize BVI Dominica Grenada)Discussion

15:10 - 16:30 Countries Presentations on Situation analysis of Streetfood vendors by participants of the following:(Guyana Jamaica Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis)Discussion

16:30 – 17:50 Countries Presentations on Situation analysis of Streetfood vendors by participants of the following:(Saint Lucia St Vincent Suriname Trinidad & Tobago)Discussion

17:30 Assignment: Card writing exercise. Each individual will begiven five cards and requested to write down what he/sheperceives to be the priority issues of relevance to thepresentations (Ms. Carmen Dardano)

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DAY 208:30 - 09:00 Report and discussion on Card Writing Exercise09:30 – 10:00 Hazards associated with the processes and practices of

production, preparation, transportation, display and consumptionof street food vendors. (Dr. Lloyd Webb)Discussion

10:00 – 10:15 Coffee Break10:15 – 12:30 Working Group

Participants to develop process flow chart for a street-foodvending operation, identifying the potential hazards associatedwith each process (production, preparation, transportation, displayand consumption), and the control procedures (includingdocumentation) which should be used to control the hazards ateach process step.

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch13:30 – 15:30 Working group

SWOT Analysis and Strategy Development.(Ms. Carmen Dardano)

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee break15:45 – 17:30 Working group.

Develop Regional Action Plan using cards prepared in earlierexercise. Combine and group cards in order to identify themes forworking group discussions.(Ms. Anthea Ishmael)

DAY 309:00 – 10:15 Group presentations.10:15 – 11:30 * Working Group.

Determine next steps for the regional plan of action to improve thesafety of street foods and establish a regional code of practice forstreet food vendors that can be used and adapted in eachCaribbean country.

11:30 – 11:45 Presentation of Next Steps11:45 Closing Ceremony and Presentations of Certificates* Coffee break during sessionResource Persons: Mrs. Carmen Dardano, Dr. Lloyd Webb, Ms. Anthea Ishmael

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ANNEX 3 REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION

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Annex 3Regional Action Plan-Street food Vendors 2003-2005

Narrative Summary Objectively Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification AssumptionsGoal: StrengthenedNational Programme on FoodSafety in regard to street foodvendors.

-Legal aspects of operations of the street foodvendors updated -Minimal standards/ codes of practice promoted-Healthy conditions related to street foodvendors improved

-Report on legislation-Report on standards-Report of good hygienicpractices

-Government co-operationStreet food vendors adoptthe standards and codes ofpractice

Purpose:Healthy conditions related tostreet food vending improved

-The quality and safety of street foods improved- Reduction of food-borne illnesses

-Surveillance report- Inspection report on foodpreparation

- properties maintain thestandards

Expected result:1. Legislation and policyregarding street food vendingupdated

2. Standards developed andimplemented for the design andlayout of street food vendingfacilities

3. Minimal standards andcode of practices establishedfor the Caribbean region

-Food safety legislation and policy Reviewed by2004/05 and updated.–Sensitize public about policy change

Standards developed and implemented fordesign and layout of street food vendingfacilities..

-Standards and codes of practice from differentcountries - review and update

-Report on legislation- Report on policy- Political will

-Regional standardsdocument for layout anddesign

- Regional standardsdocument - document of codes ofpractice

-Government co-operation

Government support ,private - sector supportCo-operation of streetvendors

Government will accept thestandards and codes ofpractice

1

Regional Action Plan-Street food VendorsNarrative Summary Objectively Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification Assumptions4. The awareness of consumerson the basis requirements forstreet vended foods will be.

70% of consumers are aware of the basicstandards for street vended foods by 2005.

-Report on the consumercampaign-Educational material-Consumer educationprogramme

Financial resources and co-operation from differentagencies and government

5. Regional training programmefor street vendors implemented

70% of Caribbean countries implemented thetraining programme by 2005

-Report on the trainingprogramme.-Training manual-Training material

Government support and co-operation from private sectorand the tourist board

6. Regional training of trainersdeveloped and implemented

70% of Caribbean countries implemented thetraining of trainers programme by 2005

Report on the trainingprogramme.-Training manual-Training material

Government will accept anduse the training programme

7. Laboratory facilities for testingof food samples will bestrengthened

70% of Caribbean countries strengthenedlaboratory facilities and put in place amethodology for taking samples by 2006.

-Report on the lab facilitiesand methodology used tocollected samples

Financial resourcesavailable

6. Street food vendorsmonitoring system will bedeveloped

-Database established in 70 % of theCaribbean countries-Food vendors identified

-The database- Identification of foodvendors

Government co-operationand financial resourcesavailable

Activities:1.1 Review existing, legislationand policy -develop draft

-Legislation reviewed and updated and draftedfor enactment-Policy draft for enactment- Sensitize politicians- Willingness of the politicians

Report on legislation andpolicy

Government support

Sensitise politiciansSupport for politicians

2

Regional Action Plan-Street food VendorsNarrative Summary Objectively Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification Assumptions

1.2 Implement the street foodpolicy an legislation

- Policy and legislation enactment Report on the legislationand policy implemented

Government support

2.1 Review and asses thelayout and facilities using byfood vendors

2.2 Design and develop standardlayout an facilities in accordanceof the need of the street vendors

-Assess of the layout and facilities

-Develop standards

-Result of the consultation in layout andfacilities with the street food vendors-Design of the street food vendors equipment

-Report on the layoutfacilities used by differenttypes of vendors-Report on standards andconsultation-Design of the street foodvendors equipment

Private industry supportGovernment support

Acceptance from the streetfood vendors

3.1 Review the standardsprepared in each of theCaribbean countries and thecodes of practices

3.2 Draft the regional street foodvendors standards and code ofpractices

-Standards for street food vendors and codesof practice

-Result of the consultation with the countries

-Document of standardsand codes of practice

Government enactment thestandards and codes ofpractice

4.1 Develop a consumercampaign. Discussion withrelevant agencies4.2 Develop educational material

-Education material-Result of the consumer campaign-Use of the material

Report on the consumercampaign

Financial report

5.1 Develop a regional trainingprogramme for street foodvendors

-Regional education programme for streetfood vendors

Report on the programme Financial support

3

Regional Action Plan-Street food VendorsNarrative Summary Objectively Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification Assumptions5.2 Training street food vendors Countries using the training programme Report on the training

programmeGovernment support

6. Develop a training programmefor training of trainers

Training programme used by the countries Report on the training oftrainers

Financial resources

7. 1 Develop a strategy tostrengthen the laboratoryfacilities7.2 Sample methodology put inplace

-Laboratories facility for testing food sampleupdated- Methodology for taking samples put in place

Report on laboratoryfacilitiesManual to be used on foodsample for testing

Government support andfinancial resources

8. Develop and implementmonitoring system

-The data collection and monitoring database-Sharing the information and technology onstreet food vendors

Report on the monitoringsystem

Report on using themonitoring system

Capability of the countries’financial resources