Food sold by street-food vendors in Cape Town and surrounding areas: a focus on food and nutrition knowledge as well as practices related to food preparation of street-food vendors

This study assessed food items sold by 831 street-food vendors in Cape Town, their nutrition knowledge and practices related to food preparation. Food items vendors sold included crisps (chips) (45.1%), sweets (candies) (44.4%), fruit (34.9%), biscuits (cookies)/cakes (33.9%), chocolates (31.9%), cooked/baked foods (27.8%), raw vegetables (23.5), and soft drinks (21.9%). The majority of the vending stalls (85.7%) did not have surface sanitizer and soap, 71% did not have a basin for washing, and 75% did not have a drying cloth. Street foods may be a public health risk by virtue of being energy-dense, high in saturated fat, trans fats, salt, and sugar as well as exposure to hazardous hygiene practices.