Assessment of Food Hygiene Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Night Street Food Vendors in Morogoro, Tanzania

Abstract

The consumption of street food is associated with the provision of unhealthy, unsafe, and nutritionally unbalanced meals, presenting a public health concern. This study was designed to assess food safety knowledge, attitude and practices of night street food vendors in Morogoro Municipality. A cross-sectional study involved 256-night street food vendors was performed, using a structured questionnaire. The results reported that most of the vendors were females (77%) and half of the vendors were aged between 20 to 30 years. Majority of vendors ,62.9% had been vending food for 4-5 years. Generally, the study revealed medium attitudes (95.3%) and moderate knowledge levels (73%), but significant low in self-reported practices (92.6%). Age (p<0.001) and previous experience in vending activities (p=0.016) were significantly associated with practice scores. A significant association was found between gender and attitude scores (p = 0.002). The correlation matrix revealed that age was positively correlated with attitude score (r = 0.426, p < 0.01) and practice score (r = 0.212, p < 0.01), while previous experience was negatively correlated with attitude score (r = -0.467, p < 0.01). The study highlights the need for targeted training and regulatory reinforcement to improve food safety and protect public health. The findings underscore the importance of interventions tailored to the unique challenges of night street food vending in growing urban settings.