Identification of microbiological hazards and safety of ready-to-eat food vended in streets of Amravati City, India

Objectives: There are reports of food borne illnesses associated with the consumption of street vended foods in several places in India. A rapid review of street vended food was undertaken to assess its safety for human consumption and as potential sources of bacterial pathogens. Methodology and results: A total of 55 samples were analyzed. The bacterial pathogens identified were P. aeruginosa (39%), E.coli (21%), S. aureus (16%), Salmonella sp. (12%) and Proteus sp. (12%). The highest frequencies of occurrence of bacterial pathogens were P. aeruginosa in samosa (25%), E. coli in kachori (32%), S. aureus in kachori (27%), Proteus sp. in palakwada (45%) and 36% Salmonella sp. in samosa. Conclusion and application of findings: Food contamination in Amravati City streets is mainly due to poor water quality and hygiene during food preparation, washing of utensils, poor personal and domestic hygiene, peeling of fruits long before consumption, and crowded, dusty and poorly maintained shopping areas. The location of shops alongside busy roads with heavy vehicular traffic, which increase airborne particles, or beside waste disposal sites and over crowded dwellings, adds to the contamination. These findings demonstrate that the ready-to-eat food vended in Amravati City constitute an important potential hazard to human health. Provision of health education to the vendors and enforcing implementation of appropriate hygienic practices would improve food quality.