Food Hygiene Practices and Associated Factors Among Street Food Vendors in Urban Areas of Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Street food is expanding all around Ethiopia. Street vendors have become commonplace near schools, hospitals and bus stations. Because street vended food is sold in unsanitary surroundings near streets, it can be contaminated with variety of pathogens, exposing consumers to foodborne illnesses. There haven’t been enough studies on Ethiopian street food, and little is known about how hygienic these foods are. The local authorities don’t even have a regulatory system to ensure food safety for street food vendors. Thus, this study aimed to assess food hygiene practices among street food vendors and associated factors. METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional analytical study design was conducted from June, 2021 to July, 2021 including 402 respondents. Structured questionnaire and observational checklists were used for assessing food hygiene practices. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistics (version 25.0). Binary logistic regression analyses were used to check association of covariates with food hygiene practices. Adjusted odds ratio, and P-value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval were used to report significant association. RESULTS: Out of 402, 390 individuals responded. About 123 (31.5%) (95% CI: 27.2-36.4) of vendors had good food hygiene practices. Being female (AOR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.09-0.27), age (19-25 years (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.11-0.81) and 26 to 35 years (AOR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.74), marital status (being married (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29-0.93), educational status (college and above (AOR = 3.42; 95% CI: 1.35-8.62), monthly income (1001-2000 Ethiopian Birr (AOR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.19-0.68), being inspected (AOR = 13.15; 95% CI: 2.76-62.66) and lack of water at vending site (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17-0.97) were factors significantly associated with food hygiene practices of street vendors. CONCLUSION: Few street food vendors who adhered to good food hygiene were present. Significant variables of food hygiene behaviors included gender, age, marital status, education level, monthly income, inspection frequency, and the availability of water at vending sites. The vendors’ food hygiene practices needed to be improved, which necessitated continual assistance, frequent inspections, and public awareness campaign.