Perception and Concerns of Consumers on Food Safety and Factors Influencing Purchase of Vended Foods

The purpose of the study was to assess the food safety perception, opinions and concerns of consumers on street vended foods and identify the factors that influence the purchase of vended foods. The study used a descriptive survey design, with the study’s target population being consumers of street food in the Takoradi metropolis. The total sample size for the study was one hundred and eighty-eight (188) consumers of street foods of varying ages and educational backgrounds. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data for this study. Majority (60%) of respondents perceived street foods were safe, although there were some worries, according to the survey. The chi-square test (0.021) found an association between the opinions on the safety of street foods and the gender of respondents. Food safety factors such as improper food preparation (2.52), sanitation (2.51), microbial contamination (2.51), and pesticide residue (2.51) were considered as strong concern factors of food safety by consumers. Nutritional imbalance (2.44), cholesterol content (2.36), calorie content (2.36), vitamin content (2.30), and food additive content (2.23) were food safety factors of moderate concern to the consumers. The larger (62%) number of the population indicated that the price of the food as a factor for purchasing street vended foods is utterly important to them, however environmental cleanliness (55%) where food is sold, cleanliness of the vendor (44%), taste of the food (45%), aroma of the food (50%) were very important factors they consider before purchasing any street food. It is suggested that authorities in charge of regulating the activities of street food vendors make it a point to educate them, as well as the general public, about the importance of following good food safety measures.