Street Sold Food Might Be Harming You
A lot of times we are too busy, or are in a hurry to leave our homes, so we opt for food or meals sold on the street. Sometimes, we may be travelling to another town with a different culture, and we are attracted by the nice aroma of enticing street food. I know this happens a lot in Nigeria and in some other countries. Sometimes, the sold food may not be home-made meals, it could be locally made snacks. Some people like to patronize certain vendors for native meals and snacks however, we overlook a lot of possibilities while doing this.
It is sad enough that some packaged and industry-processed meals and food substances can harm us but do we realize that some street vended foods can harm us?
It is possible that some of us can vouch for certain restaurants, some of us are certain about their hygiene. We may even know some of these vendors personally. We may have been eating from some vendors for years but, have we considered the location at which the vendor is selling the food, and its poor handling which can lead to transfer of pathogens(microbes) from the vendor or others around or from the environment into the food?
Have we thought about the fact that water, vegetable,and spice used in preparing food such can easily be contaminated? What about chemicals from detergents or liquid wash used to clean utensils and equipment? Have you ever seen when a vendor is in a hurry to sell food? Everything has to be done fast. Did you know that chemical or physical contaminants can enter into the food,and microbial contamination from water,cloth and food handler can occur?
What about when food is hawked, improper storage,and temperatures of food during hawking might lead to heat-stable enterotoxins produced by pathogens.
This is not to scare anyone.This is just an awareness concerning some of the dangers of street sold food. We are prone to food borne diseases such as food poisoning, diarrhea, cholera,and typhoid fever if we constantly consume food prepared on the street. My brother was rushed to the hospital, one midnight, after he had consumed locally made food from a street vendor during the day. He had terrible stomach pain and was placed on admission in the hospital.
HOW STREET FOOD GET CONTAMINATED
WATER
In China,street food caused 691 food poisoning outbreaks and 49 deathsfor years in Shangdong Province (China)
Water is one of the most important raw materials in many street food, therefore if a vendor uses contaminated water, this can create a health risk to the public. Often,the hygiene of water used by vendors can not be fully ascertained, yet it is used for drinking,as an ingredient,for processing food,or for washing hands,food,equipment and utensils.
In Nigeria, more than 200,000 are suspected to die each year and about 120,400 deaths of Nigerian children under the age of five occurred in 2008, due to diarrhea and related diseases. Street sold food are riddled with problems and contaminants.
WASTE
Few vendors know how to manage their waste, hence, the contamination of street foods is often linked to the waste generated by food processing, that is usually dumped near the vending site.
Sometimes vendors throw their wastes-especially liquid wastes into drainages nearby, thereby building homes and habitats for rodents and microorganisms.
A study carried out in Africa showed that a lot of food sellers prepared food like fish, fruit salads, roasted maize and chips in unhygienic conditions, given that garbage and dirty waste were close to the stalls.
Also in India some years ago, a fruit vendor's fruit juice on the street was examined and lots of bacteria was found in it. We can go on to say we use anti-biotics and our immune systems are strong but for how long?
MORE CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS THAT MAY BE PRESENT IN STREET VENDED FOOD
PAHs
PAHs are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.They are chemical compounds containing hydrogen and carbons and they can be found in food sold on the streets, especially smoked food substances and tobacco.
Most PAHs are insoluble in water, however, human exposure varies across the globe and depends on factors such as smoking rates, fuel types in cooking, pollution controls on industrial processes, and vehicles.
Smoke generated from fuels like wood is a large source of PAHs.The burning of coal and biofuels for cooking and heating is a dominant global source of PAH emissions as well, but unfortunately this is one of the cheapest sources of fuel for cooking in developing countries.
In industrial countries, people who smoke tobacco products or consume food substances particularly smoked or grilled meat are exposed to PAHs. PAHs may also be deposited on plant food, especially broad-leafed vegetables, during growth,hence the need for good hygiene when cooking vegetables bought from the street. Emissions from vehicles such as cars and trucks can be a substantial outdoor source of PAHs in the air as well.
PAHs in the body system in large doses have been linked to cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
According to research,people living in Europe, the United States, and China have linked exposure to PAHs, to air pollution or parental occupational exposure, with poor fetal growth, reduced immune function, and poorer development, including lower IQ (source).
PESTICIDE RESIDUES
Pesticides, chemicals and insecticides which are usually used in the atmosphere can form harmful residues on food substances hawked or sold on the streets. Since most street food are ready to eat and fast, we are quick to consume.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
We can keep up with this awareness, creating more awareness for street vendors and consumers. Our governments must be involved in ensuring the safety of sold and consumed street food.
If you know any vendors around you, encourage them to improve their hygiene and learn more about food safety acts and policies.
In the majority of developing countries,where street food safety policies do not either exist or are poorly enforced,food safety experts or health officials can take up the challenge.
As individuals, we can decide to reduce or abstain from street vended food. We must also become more hygienic with our food preparations too. Remember, it is important to always eat safe.
Authored by @ponmile
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street food will probably kill you, so stop eating street food
Right @kurosawa It's true :)
My cousin loved street food, few months ago. He had a vomiting, nausea and fever. Doctor test his blood sample and observe a bacterial infection due to unhygienic food.
That sucks. In my opinion it’s a risk worth taking but a bad bug can really mess up a vacation. I’ve eaten a ton of street food traveling and the only time I’ve gotten sick on vacation was in an actual restaurant.
Worth the risk - street food makes people smile together - Street Food is social experience together - sadly you fly solo if you get ill 🤣
Thanks for sharing your cousin's experience
Hi - Great & informative post. I have returned from travels around India and I must say I love food and street vendor -
Its a tricky one as for many people street food in India is a way of survival from people's livelihood and people's only nourishment. For a beggar to receive a fresh samosa from a vendor is a blessing. Of course hygiene is something key here and I also got very sick one day but as https://steemit.com/@travelersmemoire says when I ate in a street restaurant.
India is trying hard to try to implement hygiene and clean spaces with rubbish collections daily , more public lavorities but this will take time.
I agree if we know an establishment near us we can encourage them. For example explaining that using a dirty cloth to clean tables is one of the worst carriers of bacteria - this can be an easy education to suggest and a very simple fix - I believe dirty cloth cleaning tables was probably the cause of my illness in the cafe. I never once got sick eating with locals on the street.
A good thing to eat is fresh coconut - natural :) taken 3 weeks ago on my last trip to India
Love Food - Love Steemit - Love Travels
Have a great day all
Sonic Sonny 💁🏻
If the hygiene is fixed and certain..you are good to go.. The reason street foods can not be trusted is the hygiene and ingredients.. If you are certain about both..you can keep consuming from your vendor..
There's no doubt that a lot of street foods are delicious - even more delicious than what's sold in restaurants. Also, street foods are cheap! So who doesn't like cheap, delicious food? 😆
But as consumers, we should use our senses to determine if the street food is worth the try. Look at where the cart's situated, the placement of foods and their condiments (if there are any), where the foods are placed, and their permit (usually hanged on the stall's roof or posted on a surface). Also, you can usually tell something's wrong on the first bite! So stop chewing and look at what you're eating.
Also, nowadays, health inspectors are more stern on imposing proper food prep and hygiene, so I guess we should trust on that. 😉
Sorry I just got a lot to say about this matter. I just love street food so much! But I always eat with precaution.
So, after what's said and done, and you decide to eat, just tell yourself: "BACTERIA'S STRONG, BUT I AM STRONGER."🤣
👍 Agreed
I love street food too! I don't eat much of it since there's not much here in the US. But in Hong Kong and China..wow! Getting to sample the local cuisine...so tasty and cheap!
Be careful...choosing tasty over healthy may not be the best decision. You can reduce it ..if you can not stop totally..
Many street food vendors seem to go long periods of time without washing their hands, cooking utensils, or plates.
The simple fact of the matter is that street food is being prepared in a generally uncontrolled and unhygienic environment. Cases of food poisoning rise during the heat, humidity, and standing water contribute to foster the growth of a number of nasty organisms and insect swarms. Meats and even vegetables and other ingredients which are sitting outside and unprotected for long periods of time can become contaminated.
There’s also the matter of where your food or its preparatory materials came from. How old is the chicken meat that’s going into your momos? Was the kebab you ate sitting around in a truck or warehouse all day, or was it sliced from a chicken slaughtered in the morning? You never know, unless you’re very familiar with the venue you’ve chosen.
Another big area of concern is water. It might taste amazing, but the water could have come from an unfiltered tap. Perhaps you’ll be keeling over on the toilet the next day.
Good addition...thanks
in my experience you are far more likely to get sick eating in a restaurant - esp. if bigger. They store food for longer and if experience a power failure then freezers warm up. Big hotel buffets are notorious for getting poep,sicl . Again poor storage. Fresh street food for me any time of the day.
Street Foods is un healthy in many ways, in fact, sometimes its a threat to one's health. With due respect to our fellow street food vendor but I am simply telling the truth that their engridients esp the oil were repeatedly used all throughout the week or sometimes even months and this is very cancerous. The microbial count present to the food is too much since it is expose to every insects on the street plus the smoke coming from the vehicles and etc.
It is better to cook food at home, it is far more healthy and safe.
My aunt who used to live in China came across a street vendor selling these pancakes for really cheap. She couldn't pass on such a deal and bought some. Turns out the reason it was so cheap was because the oil they used to cook with was actually recycled sewage oil. Disgusting. Eat at your own risk.
yes be very careful of street food and think high quality and look at the stuff for freshness
The only way to be truly safe is to prepare and cook your own homegrown fruits, vegetables, and livestock. So move to the country and get some land.
Amen to that!
Thank you for your blog @adsactly. It's a health awareness for everyone who are fond of eating street foods. It doesn't give us benefit to our heath but a destruction. I have an experience with that since my niece was sometime hospitalized due to typhoid fever bec of eating too much bbq at the street that was not cook properlyproperly. A reminder to all parents to give their children awareness about this matter.
@adsactly, great and valid points you have made.
While it might not be possible to eliminate the possibility of eating out totally, i think its best to consider some factors you have highlighted before taking to eating at a particular restaurant although compromise on personal hygiene can't be completely ruled out and with time, we can reduce to the barest minimum the issue of eating out.
Thank You
Yes, it is a gradual process..we can reduce until we can stop..
Like the Chinese saying, "Most diseases start from the mouth." You take a risk when you eat out, especially street food stalls. Everyone should be taking care of themselves to be healthy, but when in Rome...
Thanks for spreading the awareness. This article made me want to barf. I didn't realize the water they use could be so contaminated. I ate at a food truck in Brazil once and got very sick. I think you're point that everything is made fast and doesn't have time to be cleaned. Definitely some health inspections and regulations need to be implemented on these food trucks.
Great addition...thanks for sharing your experience
I believe it depends a lot on how the person is cooking the food.
If we know that the person is cooking food correctly, the raw materials are not infected or rotten; then I believe it is safe to eat.
On the other hand, we can find more unhygienic food in big establishments too.
Who knows what's cooking behind the door! At least we know how it is being cooked in front of us.
The road side selling food are really dangerous
Thank you so much for this awareness post.
I saw a Stray Dog drinking water direcently from a big container of water a food vendor used to prepare his food. After that I resolved within myself to prepare my own food plus it's a much more cheaper and healthier option.
Thats a good resolve..it is the safest option
All the great food item
Yes sir, it is sad enough that some packaged and industry-processed meals and food substances can harm us
Oh mannnn but some street food just tastes SOO good! :(
Yes some of them taste so good..
@adsactly great post ...like they say health is wealth..road side food is risky and cause damage to the body cos of the pollution on the street
Really nice food, I like it.
Thanks for sharing this Post.....
Very nice food, I like it.
Thanks for sharing this health.....
Thank you for the link to the forum ... I am a new steemian and this wa a greaat help ...
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No food can't be compared with your home no matter how delicious it is, your home food is the best.
We only live once
I travel to eat
You dont live if you dont eat
I'm totally agree with you, highly nice post.
Yesterday had some street sold fold and now my throat is messed up.
You really gotta look before you eat anything..
Hygiene is important
I totally agree with you.
I would always prefer home made food over any other kind of food be it from the street or even an eatery and stuffs because at home you're very sure to make your food as hygienic as possible.
Great awareness post though. Resteemed.
Yes..home made food is the best.
The only food that's relatively safe to eat is what you prepare with your own hands. I've always maintained that.
Very nice post and great article
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wow good health food i like this thanks for shareing
I love to eat a crab
And that's my favorite food.
Thanks for this @adsactly
Another place other atmosphere. There is a hard place to get food there is a more food place
very true all that it exposes on this article, the truth exists an unlimited quantity of street food that can be damaging the health, for that reason I try to take care, the of me fast foods is toxic
yeah street food is so harmful for us...
Nice
The food bought on the street is really harmful,you don't know how it was prepared,the hygiene used to prepare the food even the environment,they may be dustbins around and a lot of flies around,they perch on the food we are about to buy.Am also guilty of eating this street food sometimes but i can't help it because there is not enough time to cook sometimes.God will save us.Nice post
You are right. Vendors majorly face the water challenge... Clean water is scarce in a lot of places..
Oh, it's better not to eat on the street, you have to take care of your health.
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691 outbreaks of infection, it is a high number. I take food from home if I go to work.
In my country, the authorities do sanitary control of establishments and meals, but there are many street sales that are difficult to control
Thanks for such a good article.
Good choice....thanks for your addition too
This is a big issue. There is street food in so many countries and people must depend on the good practices of the vendors. there is no government organization that oversees how the food is prepared or stored. The key is to make sure you know and trust the vendors. Another good thing to do is to ask the vendors about how they store and select their food. If they seem questionable, do not purchase it.
Good addition...asking them could help
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Thanks for sharing......
but so tasty~^^
Thanks For This Information
yup dear u are say right my heart saying me that if anyone eat meal I will kill him
You're very right there @ponmile.
The conditions in which most outdoor foods are prepared are mostly unsanitary but at the same time it's almost impossible to resist suya from a mallam especially when you've spotted a beer parlor close by. Hahahahahahaha
I am not the outdoor eating type though, mostly cause I'm shy (can't eat in public) so when faced with hunger outside the house, I opt for junk like cakes, biscuits, sausages, doughnuts etc.
Once my friend got chicken pox from eating outside, I have been scared to try such since then
Junks have their own disadvantages too..but you can choose the lesser evil 😁😁
This is also rampant in Uganda,street foods are so commonly enjoyed but deadly.sometimes the oil used is so old,the dust on the roads go direct to the foods and slot of uncleanliness is exercised.
Thanks my friend for the insight.
That is scary, @boomthrive. Sometimes vendors are just not responsible for the foods they sell, but as consumers, we must be cautious of what we eat. We'll know if it's dirty just by looking at the food, or the place where it's made and sold. Also, sometimes people just take diarrhea and cholera for granted, but these are deadly if you don't treat it fast and right!
By the way, are health inspectors in Uganda not strict enough to impose proper hygiene, sanitation and handling on street foods?
I'll tell you what. I have an incredible weakness for street vendor fish tacos just across the border in Mexico. I just love them. But I haven't had one in 15 years. One day it occurred to me that the place was at least 100 miles from the Ocean and the sanitary standards are not particularly good. So I quit.
Really good article that everybody needs to think about.
Smart....thanks for your addition
On a side (and bad) note, if you feel sick after eating bad street food or just food in general, here's what you can do.
Drink lots of water. Expect that you're gonna be "throwing up" and "pushing out" a couple of times, so make sure you are not dehydrated.
a. Take anti-motility medicine such as loperamide (every 6 hours until well), and b. oral rehydration salts mixed with a glass of water (every 6 hours until well). Also take some c. sports drinks such as Gatorade (every meal). Best if you take a, b, c.
Take a rest and eat ONLY soft foods (e.g. light soups and porridge) until your body gets better and you've taken out all the toxins you got from the bad food.
I'm not a doctor, but I have siblings in the medical field, and I've taken care of many family members (including myself at one point) who've had bad experiences with bad food, and this is what I did that made us well. 😊
I hope this helps anybody reading this! This serves as a first-aid treatment, but if symptoms persist, best to go to the hospital.
Thanks @adsactly for sharing this post. At least I got an avenue to share these tips.
Thanks for your addition
My father always tells me not to eat street food when I travel to Indonesia. it happened once, on the news, that some people use rat meat instead of chicken because it's cheaper and they make more profit using rat meat(but saying the food is made of chicken to their customers). Also the pollution will come into the food and the people selling food on the street don't have access to clean water. Still, street food tastes sometimes better than in restaurants.
Thank you for your addition...we have to chose between tasty and healthy