Beliefs, Practices, and Knowledge of Street Food Vendors Regarding Food Safety in Tripoli - Lebanon

Abstract

Street food, defined as Ready to eat food and beverages sold on the streets, plays a vital role in providing employment, and nutritious food for less fortunate individuals and reflects the country's cultural cuisine. However, it poses a high health risk to the population. This study aims to assess the Knowledge, beliefs, and practices of street food vendors in Tripoli – Lebanon, and to investigate the Sociodemographic determinants of the beliefs, practices, and knowledge related to food safety among study participants. The study also aims to raise awareness among street food vendors. Through face-to-face interviews, food vendors filled in a multicomponent questionnaire containing two sections: (1) sociodemographic characteristics and work experience, and (2) knowledge, beliefs and practices related to food safety. A total of 100 street food vendors completed the survey. Results showed high knowledge scores, positive beliefs, and good practices. An association was also found between the knowledge score, income, and years of experience. The logistic regression model reflected that higher income, more years of experience, and being between the age of 31-38 increases the odds of having a high knowledge score. This study revealed positive beliefs of participants in Tripoli towards food safety and indicated important gaps in their practice and knowledge. The Lebanese government needs to put more effort into regulating the street food sector, and researches need to be performed to understand the condition of this sector in Lebanon.