Food safety practices and associated factors among street food vendors in southwest Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study

Street-vended foods have extended socio-economic importance beyond use for sustenance. Conversely, they are the major source of foodborne diseases in developing countries. Nevertheless, the consideration given to street-vended foods in Ethiopia is negligible. Therefore, this study aimed to explicate the food safety practices and associated factors among street food vendors in southwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among street food vendors from February to June 2023. Epi Data and SPSS software were used for data entry and statistical analysis, respectively. A total of 384 street food vendors participated in the study. The participants' mean age was 29.8 (SD: ±10.3), and nearly two-thirds of the study participants were female. The overall level of good food safety practices was 38.3% (CI: 32.7, 45.6), indicating 62 out of 100 street food vendors had poor food safety practices. Gender, hand washing, money handling, and utensil cleaning were factors significantly associated with good food safety practices. Formal registration, licensing, and policy legislation describing the minimum criteria to be fulfilled by street food vendors are mandatory. Training and education should be given with a prominent consideration of male street food vendors. A regular inspection should also be done for environmental, sanitary, and hygienic conditions.