TERMPAPERStreet Foods SECOND SEMESTERMUTUAL FUND
I. INTRODUCTIONFoods in the Philippines are easily patronize by
filipino consumers and also the tourists for it brings the feeling
of pleasure in eating. And as we look on the food industry in the
country , it has becoming great in number . And one of this is the
Street Foods. Street Foods are very known in our country because it
became a part of our life already, some may say they dont eat it
but majority likes it. Being low cost and convenient, street foods
are preferred by almost billion people in the world to satisfy
hunger. In the Philippines, street food is known as pagkaing kalye
and has become a part of the culture and lifestyle of Filipinos.
Many street foods are connected with take-out, snacks, dumplings,
and fast food with various local flavors. In fact, everyone enjoys
it. Street Foods are any ready-to-eat meal or beverage found in the
markets and public places. By the word itself, its a food that can
be bought nearby the streets. Street vendors are identified as
self-employed workers in the informal sector who offer their labor
to sell goods and services on the street without having any
permanent built-up structure. Various studies have already
confirmed the fact that street vendors comprise one of the most
marginalized sections of the urban poor. Notwithstanding the fact
that they play a very dynamic role in the urban economy, providing
necessary items, which are largely both durable and cost-effective,
to average income-earning households at cheap and affordable rates.
In addition, they help many small-scale industries to flourish by
marketing the products that they manufacture. Thus, they help to
sustain the urban economy to a great extent in terms of generation
of employment and income, and provision of services to others. It
has been estimated that around 30 percent of the workforce buys at
least one meal a day from vendors. Therefore, street vendors can be
said to signify a viable solution to some of the problems of the
poverty-stricken urban dwellers. Moreover, Street vending provides
source of nutrition, satisfaction and economic livelihood, the
unconsciousness of the community to the hidden dangers of street
foods urged us to come up with this study to be able to dig deeper
into the world of street foods, unfold its practices and to somehow
come up with possible solutions to the problem.There are many kinds
of street foods, we have those orange ball thing we called
Tokneneng, Kwek-kwek, one-day old, Calamaris , Adidas, Bananacue,
Chicken skin , atay, fishballs,, and Isaw-isaw.
II. Statement of the Problem: There are several problems that
could be encountered with street foods, mostly from buyers
perception, but we just chose the three major problems they
encountered as our subject matter to this Research Paper. And those
problems are the following:1. What would the street vendors do in
Food Sanitation (Cleanliness) it is common for the buyers that they
have doubts for the safety of the foods. They dont know if it was
made with cleanliness or not or was made with unhygienic
practices.2. Food Safety - the informal nature of this sector of
the economy sometimes allows poor hygiene standards, making
consumption of street food a potentially hazardous source of
nutrition. Since street foods are located along busy public areas
such as pavements, school premises, rail and bus stations, problems
such as microbial contamination, unhygienic practices, and lack of
basic facilities like potable water are associated with it. 3.
Unhygienic Surroundings - Sixty percent of the interviewed vendors
prepared their food in an unclean environment with the presence of
flies all over the place and some of the stalls were located very
close to dump sites and pollution.
III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYWe are doing this study to dig
information regarding Street Foods, which is becoming a part of the
life of each Filipino. We aimed to discover how does this Street
Foods contribute in our socio-economic life, and also why does the
consumers are continuously patronizing it despite of fact that it
might be made through unhygienic practices and so on. Determining
what products are sold and mostly consumed is also a part of this
study. But the main objective of this study is to determine the
problems that are mostly encountered in line with Street Foods. And
this includes the safety and hygienic practices that should be
observed in Street Vending knowing that there would be a huge
possibility that those street foods were contaminated, exposed to
pollutions, made in an unhygienic practices and so on.
IV. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Street foods are ready-to-eat foods and
beverages prepared and/or sold by vendors, especially on streets
and other public places.There have been rapidly growing and
changing food demands by the urban dwellers needing cheaper food in
the face of a harsh economy. Types of vending sites encompass
stalls, a variety of push-carts, roadside stands, and hawkers
depending upon the ingenuity of the individual, resources
available, type of food sold and the availability of other
facilities (FAO (1990). In spite of numerous advantages offered by
street foods, there are also several health hazards associated with
this sector of the economy. Multiple lines of evidence reveal that
foods exposed for sale on the roadsides may become contaminated
either by spoilage or pathogenic micro-organisms. Street food
vendors may be located outdoors or under a roof which is easily
accessible from the street. Urban population growth has stimulated
a rise in the number of street food vendors in many cities
throughout the world. Street food vendors are also known as hawkers
or sellers. While consumers in industrialized countries are
increasingly fascinated by "traditional" or "ethnic" foods, many in
developing countries seem to be succumbing to the "Street Food".The
growing street food sector in low-income countries offers easy
access to inexpensive food as well as new job opportunities for
urban residents. While this development is positive in many ways,
it also presents new public health challenges for the urban
population. Safe food hygiene is difficult to practice at street
level, and outbreaks of diarrheal diseases have been linked to
street food. The hygienic aspects of vending operations, according
to Mensah, et al (2002) are a major source of concern for food
control officers. For example, stands are often crude structures,
and running water may not be readily available. Also toilets and
adequate washing facilities are rarely available. The washing of
hands, utensils, and dishes is often done in buckets or bowls.
Disinfection is not usually carried out, and insects and rodents
may be attracted to sites where there is no organized sewage
disposal. Finally food is not adequately protected from flies and
refrigeration is usually unavailable.The health risk of food is not
only determined by the concentration of various additives and
contaminants in a food product, but also by the cumulative daily
intake of a certain contaminant or additive throughout a consumer's
diet. Although some street foods have been found to be contaminated
and serious illnesses have been related to them, in general very
few cases of food poisoning have been found. Based on some
researches, some street foods have found contaminated that causes
the consumer suffer from diarrhea and other illnesses. It may be
that illnesses occur but are not reported to medical authorities.
It has also been suggested that individuals develop immunities to
food borne diseases, although detailed studies are needed to
confirm immunity development. The site where street foods are
prepared and sold affects their safety significantly; access to a
safe water supply can greatly improve food hygiene.If we will
review some literatures locally published which discussed the
street food as part of the culture in the Philippines.According to
Fernando, These foods did not undergo proper food preparation.
Oftentimes, the vendors do not even bother to cover the foods they
are selling. They don't even care for the safety of the food they
are selling. Fernando stressed that they have the legal mandate to
drive away these street food vendors, especially those in the
sidewalks.The Department of Health (DOH) has earlier urged the
public not to patronize street delicacies and food outlets that
have no health permits, citing an increase in the number of
diarrhea cases, cholera and other gastro-intestinal diseases among
children, particularly in slum areas (PNA, 2009).
V. METHODSTo be able to come up with this study, we conducted a
direct interview from the street vendors and floated a survey
questionnaires with the 14 customers.
Research DesignA descriptive survey design was used to extract
answers to questionnaires concerning the current status of food
hygiene and sanitation practiced by street food vendors in the
Philippines. Practices such as acquisition of cooking skills,
handling of food, place of preparation of food, personal hygiene,
environmental conditions, methods of washing utensils and
preservation methods of food were studied. Location of the street
vendor, utensils used, environment surrounding the street food
vendors, general processing of the food and hygienic practices were
observed and recorded through an observation checklist. We did also
prepare another set of questionnaires for the customers, because we
are having here different perceptions here.ParticipantsWe have 10
respondents of Street Food Vendor and 14 respondents for
customers.
Procedures & Data AnalysisWe formulated survey
questionnaires for 10 Vendors and 14 Customers and reviewed it
before conducting a survey. After gathering all the materials
needed, we proceed to our respondents and we assure them that this
study is a subject for confidentiality that will only be presented
in our school subject. As we gathered the relevant information
needed, we analyze it by using statistical data such as Table
Figure and Pie Charts, and all gathered data were summarized and
tallied. Then, after we analyze the data, we concluded it and
present the results.
1. VENDORSTable 1.1Demographic Profile of Street Food
VendorsParameterFrequencyPercentage
AGE15-2525-3535 Above3
5
230%
50%
20%
GENDERMaleFemaleLEVEL OF EDUCATIONElementarySecondary4
6
3
740%
60%
30%
70%
CIVIL STATUSSingleMarried2
820%
80%
Based with the survey that we had conducted, out 10 vendors, the
highest percentage rating based with the demographic profile of the
vendors in terms of age was 50% ranging ages 25-35 followed by
15-25 with 30% and the lowest percentage rating is having 20% aged
35 above.
Table 1.2Food HandlingFrequencyPercentage
Cooking of FoodsBy using of bare handsWith hand
gloves(plastic)Serving of FoodServed with plastic cupsUsing B.stick
and plastic Handling of left-oversConsumedStored for use of next
dayStorage of Left-oversPlastic containerCovered Plate
9
1
8
2
3
7
10
090%
10%
80%
20%
30%
70%
100%
CUSTOMERSTable 1.3Customer TypeFrequencyPercentage
AGE5-1010-1515-2020-3030 Above1
3
7
2
17.14%
21.43%
50%
14.29%
7.14%
GENDERMaleFemale5
935.71 %
64.29%
CIVIL
STATUSSingleMarriedOCCUPATIONStudentsUnemployedEmployee12
2
10
2
285.71%
14.29%
71.42%
14.29%
14.29%
Table 1.4Foods ConsumedProductFrequencyPercentage
Kwek-kwek1071.43%
ToknenengOne day old chick10571.43%35.71%
CalamarisIsaw-isawAdidas( chicken feet)BetamaxFishballsLiver
(Atay)49
2
4
7
528.57%64.29%
14.29%
28.57%
50%
35.71%
CHARTS
DISCUSSION
