The nutrition, safety and health implications of food hawking in Traffic

2019

English

This article shows how the food environment is changing in urban Ghana, focusing on foods hawked in the midst of heavy traffic on city streets. Various Ghanaian meals - both health-promoting foods made from natural ingredients and attractively packaged and branded convenience foods - are being produced and hawked on traffic-laden streets, mostly by young people. These foods potentially meet the dietary needs of time-constrained urban commuters, but inappropriate and unhygienic processing and handling practices, poor personal hygiene and the polluted selling environment can affect their nutritional, sensory and safety properties. Taking into account the nutritional, health and economic importance of the traffic food environment, as well as its potential detrimental effects, we ask whether this practice should be encouraged and regulated, or limited to low-risk foods. Studies are needed to assess (1) the nutritional, safety and sensory properties of foods sold in traffic, (2) consumers’ perceptions and experience of traffic-vended foods and (3) hawkers’ knowledge of, attitudes to and practices in relation to nutrition, food safety, health and accident risk.

Omari, R.; Omari, P.