Determinants of Microbial Contamination of Street-Vended Chicken Products Sold in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Food safety problems pose a great threat to the health of consumers with the greatest burden in developing countries. Street-vended foods play a key role in providing many urban dwellers with cheap, nutritious, and accessible food, but when prepared in an unhygienic and unregulated environment, they could contribute to increased food safety burden. The study investigated the microbiological recovery of work surfaces and chicken sold in Korogocho and Kariobangi North slums in Nairobi County as well as evaluating vendors’ hygiene and food safety practices. This is a cross-sectional study on an exhaustive sample size of 15 vendors, and swabs of the equipment and work surfaces and chicken were taken for microbial analysis. An exhaustive sample size of 15 vendors was selected for the study. The results showed that most vendors operate under unhygienic conditions. Microbial results revealed that raw portions of chicken had the highest contamination with all the four tested microorganisms (p<0.05). The level of E. coli ranged from 6.42±1.64 to 2.22±1.88; Salmonella spp., 6.42±1.64 to 2.22±1.88; Staphylococcus aureus, 6.92±1.32 to 2.86±1.61; and Campylobacter jejuni, 8.95±0.94 to 4.66±2.67 log CFU/g in raw and cooked chicken samples, respectively. The predictors of E. coli contamination were the presence of pests and flies, unclean vending place, vending environment littered with waste, washing of hands by the vendor, and lack of appropriate clothing among the vendors at R2 of 0.33. The vendor practices and environmental hygiene of the vending place would not significantly (p>0.05) predict contamination with Campylobacter and Staphylococcus. Consequently, there is a need to regulate the informal food processing and marketing channels, besides trainings, infrastructural development, and code of practice and inspections which are recommended in order to enhance the quality and safety standards of street-vended chicken products.

A Comparison of Four Molecular Methods for Detection of Aflatoxin-Producing Aspergillus in Peanut and Dried Shrimp Samples Collected from Local Markets around Pathum Thani Province, Thailand

“…Food safety problem is the important problem that is a threat to the health of the population [ 1 , 2 ], especially in the developing countries. The major trouble of food safety is food poisoning by the contamination of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi.…”

Hygiene Practices and Microbial Contamination of Street-vended Foods in Kenyatta University’s Environs

“…These conditions allow dust, flies and exhaust fumes to find their way into the food causing contamination hence posing a health hazard to consumers of these foods. A study by [26] found that only 29% of the vending sites had a canopy while [17] reported that 33% of the vendors in her study were sheltered. Both these findings are contrary to the findings of the present study.…”

“…In this study most of the vendors did not wear any protective clothing such as an apron, gloves or covered hair. Similarly, [17] found that out of the 15 street vendors studied, only 8 (53%) wore protective clothing. [16] reported that out of 242 food handlers studied, 21% worked without protective garments, 31.5% wore dirty uniform and 76.6% had no head gear.…”

“…Further, some food handlers wash their hands in the same bucket used for cleaning utensils a practice that may lead to contamination of food with fecal matter. Re-used water contains diffused organic materials which act as a culture medium that allows proliferation of several pathogenic microorganisms, hence compromising food safety [17].…”

“…Lack of clean running water also influences the risk of contamination [16]. Indeed, when street foods are prepared in unhygienic and unregulated environment, they could contribute to increased [17]. Several studies on the microbial contamination of street vended foods and their probable risks have been done globally [8,18] and in Kenya [1], [3], [7], [16], [19].…”