Identification of Food Safety Intervention Points by Application of Social Practice Theory: Case Study of Pushcart Foods

The applicability of the sociological theory of social practice (SPT) for locating safety intervention points in street food practices was investigated. A randomly selected 100 pushcart street foods/vendors were used for the study. The practice elements enunciated in the social practice theory (materials, competence, social meaning) were identified in pushcart practices by non-participant observation and structured questionnaire. Warmer/containers, plates, dishing spoons, wash-water and food were identified as practice materials. The observed practices bothering on competence were: washing and re-use of plates, opening and closing of food containers, exposure of dishing spoons, use of non-potable wash water and environment of sales points. In order to confirm intervention points indicated by these practices, the presence of coliforms and Salmonella on the elements and sales points (Motor Parks, markets, workshops, construction sites) aerosols were investigated. Coliforms and Salmonella were isolated from the material elements in 16-64% of the pushcarts barely 4 hours after commencement of sales. The choice of sales points was influenced by satisfactory income (meaning element) despite their poor sanitary conditions. The high levels of aerosolised coliforms (2.29-3.38 log cfu/m3) in these sales points indicated environment as an intervention point. This was corroborated by the association between coliform levels on the material elements and the environment (X2=6.32-19.46; P=0.000-0.042). In conclusion, competence and sales environment were indicated as intervention points for pushcart food safety as supported by microbiological analyses. Thus, intervention by encouraging sales of packaged foods in pushcarts can eliminate incompetent handling, vulnerable practice materials and exposure in unsanitary environment.