How to Improve Consumer's Perception of Street Food Quality ?

In periods of economic contingency, imposing to families the loss of their sources of income, or even because of migratory and immigration movements, the street food trade is one of the alternatives for the recomposition of family income. In this context, street food trade stands out and grows in importance for its economic, social and cultural aspects. Most research on this theme has aspects related to health issues and few of them explores questions about the factors that influence the perception of the consumer in relation to the quality of food eaten, which is the focus of this work. Data were collected through a printed questionnaire from 253 persons walking around several busy areas of Diadema city, Brazil, a city with intense street food trade activity. The statistical approach was performed by multivariate data methods to evaluate the consumers' perception of street food quality based on corn and by-products sold. Findings showed that service directly influences quality perception. Additionally, it was possible to verify the mediating effect of healthiness in the relation between cleanliness and quality perception. Therefore, the focus of street food traders should be on clerk cleanliness and politeness. Both of then influence the perception that the consumer develops regarding healthiness and quality.