Knowledge, Practices and Challenges of Rural Food Vendors Regarding Expired Food Products

The purpose for the study was to examine the knowledge, practices, and challenges of rural food vendors regarding the handling and sale of expired food products in two rural university communities in Delta State, Nigeria. The design was descriptive cross-sectional research, with a structured questionnaire administered to 152 food vendors selected through multistage sampling. Data analysis was descriptive statistics of frequencies, means, and standard deviations. The findings revealed a moderate awareness of food safety, with participants showing the highest knowledge in proper food storage techniques (M = 2.24, SD = 0.72), but shows low awareness in detecting food spoilage (M = 1.64, SD = 0.79) and understanding the connection between hygiene practices and foodborne illnesses (M = 1.74, SD = 0.71). Practices indicated a dual trend of safety and risk: with some vendors adhering to safety practices such as separating expired from non-expired items (M = 2.24, SD = 0.64), high-risk behaviors such as selling expired food at reduced prices to avoid losses existed (M = 2.65, SD = 0.55). Cultural norms also had huge influence on food safety behaviors, with significant community expectations to avoid wastage of food (M = 2.34, SD = 0.75) and a reliance on traditional methods of preservation (M = 2.08, SD = 0.78). The study recommended the integration of targeted food safety education programs with improved access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and huge investment in infrastructure like storage and transportation. Additionally, there is need for government to strengthen food safety regulations to address cultural attitudes through community-based interventions for informal marketers. These are vital to reduce consumption of expired food items. These actions will support and promote public health, reduce foodborne illnesses, and will advance progress toward Sustainable Development Goals particularly those related to health, food security, and sustainable consumption.