Microbiological Analysis of Hawked-Cooked Food: Evidence from Ready-to-Eat Food Vendors in Dutse Ultra-Modern Market, Northwestern, Nigeria

These days, public health policy is primarily concerned with the global challenge of food safety. Hawked-cooked foods (HCF) play a vital role in people's everyday food alternatives, as their ever-increasing busy schedules take away the opportunity to eat homemade foods. This study aimed at analyzing the bacteriological quality of HCF sold in Dutse ultra-modern market. This study observed and analyzed the bacteriological quality of the nine (9) most popular foods sold by hawkers in the research region. All samples were analyzed using standard microbiological methods. The total viable bacterial counts in the samples for the reciprocal of dilution 105 ranged between 3.2 106 and 1.40 107 CFU/g, while dilution 107 ranged from 1.50 108 to 1.10 109 CFU/g. A total of twelve bacteria that are of public health importance were isolated and identified from the assayed ready-to-eat foods. All the sampled ready-to-eat foods in this study recorded bacteriological contaminants, which can potentially constitute public health issues. Seven of these bacteria are pathogenic; Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Vibro cholerae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Klebsiella sp. Prior to food sampling, most food hawkers interrogated lack western education, demonstrating the low degree of hygiene they practice in the preparation of the hawked foods. Therefore, in order to prevent impending public health catastrophes (food-borne illnesses) that can be brought on by consuming HCF, it is advised that food producers who hawk ready-to-eat foods adopt hygienic practice in the preparation and serving to improve food safety.