Navigating Challenges Faced by Festival Food Vendors in Obtaining Certificates of Acceptability

Food vendors play a vital role in food festivals, which contribute significantly to both the tourism and hospitality sectors. This study investigates the challenges food vendors face in obtaining the Certificate of Acceptability (CoA), a legal requirement for selling food at public events. Without a CoA, vendors were excluded from festival participation, which affects their income, forces them to remain in the informal food sector, and limits their opportunities for business growth. The research aimed to understand the barriers to CoA access by food vendors and provide policy recommendations to support vendor inclusion. The practical contribution of the study lay in its potential to enhance economic opportunities for informal food vendors and to improve inclusivity in local food systems. The research also offered theoretical insight into regulatory accessibility and the transition from informal to formal business operations, situated within hospitality management, food systems, and public health regulation. A qualitative approach was adopted, using the socio-ecological model to examine how personal, organizational, community, and policy-level factors influenced vendor access to the CoA. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews across two municipal districts in Gauteng: City of Johannesburg and Sedibeng municipality. The study identified key barriers, including procedural confusion, limited communication, and financial challenges. A noted limitation was its regional scope. Recommendations included simplified application processes, stronger support systems, and improved stakeholder communication to aid food vendor formalization. This study contributes to policy discourse on inclusive formalization of informal vendors in South Africa’s festival economy.