Assessment of Microbial Content in some Selected Cooked Foods Sold in UCC Science Market and Amamoma Community and their Negative Health Effect on Humans
2022
Bryant, Isaac Mbir | Fobir, Christina | Essandoh, Paul Kwame | Arkoful, Paul
Globally, the estimated amount of food found to be contaminated from street vendors particularly in developing countries is on the ascendancy. This study sought to assess the microbial content of some selected cooked food sold in UCC science market and Amamoma community and their negative health effects on humans. A mixed-method approach was adopted. Thus, both qualitative and laboratory work to achieve an in-depth insight into consumer perceptions and vendors’ knowledge of the safety of cooked food. The study recruited 7 food vendors and 100 students using purposive sampling method. A structured questionnaire was administered and an observational checklist was used to gather data on the environmental and personal hygiene status of food vendors and also student perception on food related diseases. Data collected were entered into an SPSS version 26.0 software, edited and subsequently used for multivariate analysis. The study revealed that cooked foods sold by vendors in the UCC science market and Amamoma community were unwholesome for human consumption and could be deleterious to the health of consumers. There were statically significant association between contamination of street foods and poor personal hygiene, un-knowledgeable to food borne diseases, improper food handling and illiteracy causing harm to consumers. It is recommended that the Food and Drugs Authority should enforce strict compliance to food quality standards at all food vending establishments in the named cooked food joints.
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