INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The food sold by street vendors or street foods is defined as foods and beverages

ready for consumption, prepared and/or sold in public places without the need for another

process or preparation (Food and Agriculture Orgabization of the United Nations, 2019;

Nonato et. al., 2016). Street foods are a source of culturally accepted, inexpensive,

convenient and often appealing foods for both urban and rural populations worldwide.

According to Desouza’s (2016) study, those street foods can cause the emergence

of foodborne diseases, due to the ease of contamination by pathogenic and non-

pathogenic microorganisms, and the development of chronic non-communicable diseases,

since the street foods usually have high quantities of carbohydrates and fats. People who

patronize street food, have been reported to suffer from diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever

and food poisoning (Microbiol, 2011; Ran, 2010). It was considered that street foods

have nutritional components of an unhealthy diet, and higher risk of contamination by

physical, chemical and biological agents, becomes a serious concern in terms of food

safety (Nonato et. al., 2016).

It was proven that most of the street food vendors lack cleanliness resulting these

kinds of phenomena (Gurusami, 2015). Their preparation of food items, serving

procedure is so unclean that if you check out how actually they cook, you would probably

suffer from nausea. Almost every street food vendor cooks food in unhygienic conditions.

They use bare hands to cut onions and they don’t even mind knife cuts, bruises on their

hands that may actually contaminate food with their blood. Usage of those monthly once

replaceable towels with which vendor cleans sorry unclean his hands is home for lots of
bacteria and viruses (Aquino et. al., 2015).

Laboratory tests reveal that presence of e-coli bacteria colonies are higher in street

foods with which you may suffer with fever, head ache and stomach ache along with

vomiting (Gurusami, 2015). It was also recognized that street food vendors are often

poor, uneducated, and lack knowledge in safe food handling, environment, sanitation and

hygiene, mode of food display, food service and hand washing, sources of raw materials,

and use of potable water (Khairuzzaman, 2014). Consequently, street foods are perceived

to be a major public health risk.

At one time, cholera outbreak happened in India and was attributed to sugarcane

juice peddled by the sidewalks (Capuno & Davao, 2019). It was supported by other

studies like in Senegal, 200 people died following food intoxication after eating street

foods (Capuno & Davao, 2019). Also in the province of Shangdong, China that street

foods were responsible for 691 food poisoning outbreaks and 49 deaths from 1983 to

2005 (Ran, 2010; Microbiol, 2011). Another example is a study developed by Wang et al.

(2007) analyzing children in China, it was demonstrated that about 10% of the students

consumed street foods frequently (more than three times a week), with higher percentage

among migrant students (12.2% vs. 8.5%). Approximately, 30 million people in

Bangladesh are suffering from foodborne illnesses such us diarrhea each year because of

eating street foods and which leads to millions of death (Chowdhury, 2014).

Rufuerzo (2015) stated that “you are not a Filipino unless you have fully

experienced the gastronomic satisfaction street food has to offer. Betamax (pork blood),

helmet (chicken head), balut (17-day old duck chick), kwek-kwek and isaw are just some

of our favorites”. Davao City was one of the four identified areas in the country where
food sold on the street is not safe to eat. According to a study by the Department of

Science and Technology (DOST) and the Center for International Migration and

Development, food samples taken from various streets in the city did not pass quality

standards (Capuno, 2012). Also in the study of Catajan (2017), BCMA has now banned

cooking street foods at the entire stretch of the night market citing violations on

cleanliness and sanitation in Baguio City.

Through these different literatures the researchers saw a gap where there are no

studies on the perception of students towards street foods here in Baguio City. This opted

the researchers to pursue the study and conduct it.

Significance of the Study

Scope and Delimitation