Street foods in America--a true melting pot

Street Vended Foods: Potential for Improving Food and Nutrition Security or A Risk Factor for Food borne Diseases in Developing Countries?

Street food selling is largely an informal nature of enterprise which is a common practice all over the world. In the third world countries, this normally unregulated practice is mainly used in solving socio-economic shortcomings through the provision of ready-to-eat meals at affordable prices as well as a means of providing employment. Street vended foods are readily available in many forms that the consumers can choose from, depending on their tastes and preferences, and also their affordability. Due to this, these foods, in one way or another, and directly and indirectly, can significantly influence human nutrition, food security and safety. Current literature indicates that increased consumption of street vended foods can immensely contribute to provision of nutrients and availability of food to millions of people worldwide. Of greatest importance in the current developments in street foods is the fact that they have been identified as probable means for micronutrient fortification in an effort to prevent nutritional deficiency diseases. These foods though, have potential risks to the consumers in terms of food safety issues linked to them. In the developing countries for instance, they are usually prepared under unhygienic conditions with little or no regard to food hygiene, a situation that often exposes the consumers to microbiological and chemical hazards that can have detrimental health effects in their lives. There is therefore an urgent need to promote food safety practices in the production and consumption of street vended foods, particularly in the developing countries where levels of hygiene standards are questionable, in order to ensure that the health of the consumers is safeguarded, and at the same time ensuring provision of nutritious, healthy and affordable foods that are easily accessible to all.

Using mobile fruit vendors to increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables for schoolchildren

This study explored the extent to which schoolchildren purchased precut and bagged fruits and vegetables from a mobile fruit vendor (frutero). During 14 days in fall 2008, a frutero sold fruits and vegetables at the entrance of an elementary school; 59% of the frutero’s 233 consumers of 248 items were elementary-school students. With each successive day, an average of 1 additional bag of fruits and vegetables was sold by the frutero and 1.5 fewer nonnutritious foods by a competing vendor. Policies encouraging the sale of nutritious foods from mobile food vendors may increase access for schoolchildren.

An analysis of public health policy and legal issues relevant to mobile food vending

Mobile food vending is a component of the food environment that has received little attention in the public health literature beyond concerns about food sanitation and hygiene issues. However, several features of mobile food vending make it an intriguing venue for food access. We present key components of mobile vending regulation and provide examples from 12 US cities to illustrate the variation that can exist surrounding these regulations. Using these regulatory features as a framework, we highlight existing examples of "healthy vending policies" to describe how mobile food vending can be used to increase access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations.

Mobile food vending and the after-school food environment

BACKGROUND

Low-income and minority children have higher rates of obesity and overweight. Greater understanding of their food access is important. Because of higher rates of walking to school in these populations, these children likely have greater exposure to the food environment immediately around their schools. Mobile food vendors are an understudied aspect of the food environment in U.S. urban areas.

PURPOSE

This study aims to observe the after-school food environment in an urban area where mobile vending is known to occur in order to study the range of vendors encountered near schools and the items sold in the after-school period.

METHODS

In the spring of 2008, the presence of mobile food vendors after school within (1/4) mile of nine public schools was assessed in a predominantly Latino district of Oakland CA. At six schools with regular presence of vendors, observations were made at mobile vendors documenting characteristics of transactions, consumers, and items.

RESULTS

During 37 observation-hours across 23 days, there were 1355 items sold to 1195 individuals. Fifty-six percent of the transactions involved children with no adults present. There was a wide range in foods sold, and although there were vendors selling low-nutrient, energy-dense foods, there were also vendors selling whole and processed (precut and bagged) fresh fruits and vegetables. Roughly 40% of these whole fruits and processed fruits and vegetables were consumed by children. On average, children each consumed $1.54 of foods per transaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Mobile food vendors in urban areas contribute to after-school snacking among children, and should be considered as a component of the school food environment.