An Evaluation of the Hygiene Practices of Polish Street Food Vendors in Selected Food Trucks and Stands

Today, street food vending is becoming a dynamically developing food industry in Europe, including Poland. Lifestyle changes and socioeconomic factors, especially among young consumers, make it a convenient food alternative, even in countries without this tradition. The aim of the study was to evaluate hygiene conditions and practices in selected street food facilities in Poland. The study was carried out in accordance with an observation checklist developed on the basis of the hygienic requirements of the European Union. The study covered 550 randomly selected street food vendors in Poland in 10 cities. The hygiene of street food outlets was assessed in three aspects: ensuring proper production conditions, hygiene of production and distribution, and hygiene of personnel. The evaluation of street food outlets showed that the level of hygiene was not fully acceptable. A small percentage of the examined objects satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements of the production conditions, production and distribution hygiene, and staff hygiene. The proposed hygienic checklist for quick daily monitoring of street food outlets can be used to perform internal and external inspections. It seems that specific codes of conduct for European street foods facilities are necessary.

Halalan Toyyiban Concept in Food Truck Business

In Malaysia, food trucks are a popular business among Malaysians due to the nature of the business much b he easier, comfortable to the customer and the food served is cheaper compared to the restaurants. In spite of immense attention alongside with the growth revenue towards the food truck business in a span of 5 years, they're also a few unwanted cases arise cause from poorly handling of food throughout the business which is proved that food truck has been associated with almost 70% of disease outbreak (Auad et al., 2018). Although food truck business has expanded years by years, the growth of food truck activities has triggered certain issues and some of the issues might lead to a serious matter. The first and foremost gap is when it comes to the cleanliness of the food served and sold in the mobile premise (Okumus et al., 2019a). The most common questioned is on how the food truck operators prepare their food, the level hygiene of its' utensils, the preparation of mixed ingredients as well as the management waste practice (Donkor et al., 2009). In addition, food truck activities usually can be exposed to a certain degree of unhygienic environment since it has no ability to maintain the quality and freshness of ingredients, the absence of refrigeration system, inadequate of running water, the ability to prevent from contamination and crosscontamination since it has limited space which these of reasons might be the biggest cause to a serious case of foodborne illness (Cortese et al., 2016). These problems might trigger the halalan toyyiban concept adopted in the practices of food truck business. Keywords: halalan, toyyiban, food truck.

Qualidade higiênico-sanitária de alimentos comercializados em food trucks em Belo Horizonte, Brasil

O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a qualidade higiênico-sanitária de alimentos comercializados na região central de Belo Horizonte, Brasil. A venda de alimentos em vias públicas pode apresentar inúmeros problemas higiênico-sanitários. Uma das ferramentas que podem auxiliar na verificação destes é a análise microbiológica, pois alguns microrganismos são indicadores de contaminação. Foram coletadas e aferidas as temperaturas de cinco amostras de cachorro-quente, cinco hambúrguer e cinco macarrão na chapa. Os microrganismos analisados foram coliformes à 45°C, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus e Salmonella spp. Dentre as 15 amostras coletadas, 83% apresentou-se em desacordo com a temperatura mínima de 60°C, sendo cinco amostras de cachorro-quente, quatro de hambúrguer e três de macarrão na chapa, com temperaturas variando entre 30,6ºC a 65º C. Todas as amostras apresentaram resultados satisfatórios em relação à pesquisa de Salmonella spp. e contagem de Bacillus cereus. Apesar destas amostras estarem em conformidade com estes indicadores microbiológicos, as temperaturas verificadas no decorrer da compra apontaram um produto inadequado para consumo. Em relação às contagens de coliformes à 45°C e Staphylococcus aureus, 13,3% e 40% das amostras, respectivamente, apresentaram-se fora dos padrões microbiológicos. Observa-se a necessidade de maior atenção na área de segurança dos alimentos em food trucks, portanto, sugere-se que o serviço de vigilância sanitária do município reforce a fiscalização e aplique periodicamente checklists para avaliar a qualidade higiênico-sanitária nestes locais.

Profile of Food Truck Consumers and their intent to visit Food Trucks

The purpose of this paper is to develop the content and analyze the factors that impact the intent to purchase of customers from a food truck. The study was carried out in Belagavi, Karnataka, India, the study was carried out using a structured questionnaire to collect the data, the data was checked for normality and reliability, further one sample t test was applied to check the impact of selected factors on purchase intent of customers from food trucks. Demographic analysis of the respondents was also a part of the study. The impact of selected factors/variables on customer intent to purchase from food trucks was analyzed and it was observed that prize, taste, hygiene, Variety, service quality and exteriors had significant impact on the customer’s intent to purchase as the p-value = 0.000 (is < 0.05). The factors or variables were not borrowed from a single proven model in the literature, the factors were selected on the basic understanding of the researchers. The study was the first to analyze the impact of the factors impacting the customer intent to purchase from food truck in a non-metro city, and the results can be used by professionals working in the area.

Comercialização de alimentos em food trucksna cidade de Natal (RN) sob a ótica da qualidade higienicossanitária

Introdução: A comercialização de alimentos em food trucks (FT) representa importante papel no consumo de alimentos fora de casa e a qualidade dos alimentos ofertados por esse segmento deve ser assegurada visando preservar a saúde do consumidor. Objetivo: Avaliar a comercialização de alimentos em FT da cidade de Natal (RN), sob a ótica da qualidade higienicossanitária. Método: Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista estruturada realizada com auxílio de um formulário contendo itens relacionados às condições higienicossanitárias, ambientais e dados sociodemográficos dos manipuladores. As entrevistas foram realizadas em 28 FT, com o responsável pela manipulação no momento da coleta. Resultados: Os alimentos mais ofertados nos FT foram pratos prontos para consumo, sanduíches e salgados, no entanto, apenas 29% possuía equipamento para manutenção à quente. Todos os entrevistados relataram manipular os alimentos em cozinha auxiliar. A inexistência de pia para lavagem de mãos foi verificada em grande parte dos FT. Dos FT avaliados, 75% possuía reservatório de água próprio e a maioria dos entrevistados relatou destinar a água residual da produção na rua. Observou-se predominância de mulheres na manipulação de alimentos nos FT na hora da coleta de dados e 36% dos entrevistados relataram nunca terem participado de capacitação em boas práticas de manipulação. O trabalho no FT era a única fonte de renda para 64% dos entrevistados. Conclusões: Os dados obtidos demonstram necessidade de melhorias nas condições de comercialização de alimentos nos FT da zona sul de Natal. Ações voltadas para promoção da segurança de alimentos nesse segmento devem ser incentivadas.

Food Trucks Driving Gentrification in Austin, Texas

The text explores the implicit relationship between food practices and gentrification processes in a neoliberal city. Based on Bourdieu’s capital types, the text explores the ways in which one’s personal taste in food and urban space can lead to the transformation of whole neighbourhoods. In particular, it looks at the role food trucks played in the ways in which an East Austin neighbourhood gentrified from 2012-2020. The research finds that food trucks turn fallow lots into bustling urban spaces and places. Such convivial and vibrant urban settings attract the creative class and drive up property values. We argue that culinary practices, and food trucks in particular, are critical vehicles of the gentrification process.

Fulfilment of technical and hygienic requirements among street food vendors in Slovenia

PurposeThis cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the compliance of hygienic and technical standards of street food vendors in Slovenia with the requirements of the general hygienic food principals set in the Codex Alimentarius and Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.Design/methodology/approachFood vendors were observed directly and discretely using a semi-structured observation sheet that allowed fast evaluation. The employee's behaviour was not affected during the observations because they were not aware of being observed. Each observation lasted approximately 30 min. Food vendors were divided into groups according to their location, type of facility, number of employees and type of food sold.FindingsDepending on the type of street vendor, more inconsistencies were found amongst food stands compared to food trucks and kiosks. Most food trucks and kiosks scored very high in both personal and hygienic-technical standards. Some of the major inconsistencies were lack of suitably located washbasins, improper hand-washing technique, improper waste management, working surfaces that were inadequately separated from consumers, and inconsistent maintenance of the cold chain. Food handlers have been confirmed as a critical risk factor.Research limitations/implicationsDespite methodology validation, the data was collected by a single observer, limiting the ability to obtain a more reliable estimate of the observations. The sample was disproportionate according to the type of street food facilities.Practical implicationsThe results provide a basis for (1) national professional guidelines of good hygiene practices for food business operators, which should cover street food vendors more extensively in future updates, and (2) the development of food safety training programmes tailored for street vendors.Originality/valueThe study provides valuable insights into current hygienic-technical conditions of the street food vending sector.