Levels of Awareness, Understanding, and Practices of Street Food Vendors on Food Safety in Ormoc City

This study was conducted in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines, to address the public health concern posed by street-vended foods, which often lack the necessary infrastructure for safe preparation and handling. The primary aim was to assess the food safety awareness and practices applied among street food vendors for the purpose of developing a targeted seminar to improve their knowledge and hygienic procedures. The research employed a descriptive quantitative design. Data were collected from 60 street food vendors in Ormoc City, using a standard survey questionnaire and analyzed with mean scores and percentages. Key findings show that the vending sector is predominantly composed of young and middle-aged adults (21-40 age groups making up 61.6%) and is female-dominated (58.3%). Most vendors were High School graduates (30.0%), and notably, 100% possessed valid health certificates, indicating strong compliance with city regulations. However, the respondents exhibited only a moderate level of awareness for both food safety knowledge (mean score of 3.00) and practices (mean score of 3.09). While vendors demonstrated high awareness of visible practices such as handwashing and food separation, they showed low to very low awareness in critical technical areas, including utensil sanitation, proper leftover storage, and pest prevention. The study concludes that although regulatory enforcement is high, a significant gap exists between certification and consistent safe food handling practices. These deficiencies highlight the critical need for ongoing education and specialized, targeted training. Recommendations include the City Health Office reinforcing training activities focused on areas of weakness like pest control and utensil sanitation, with modules specifically designed to be gender-responsive and tailored to the vendors' educational profile for maximum efficacy.

Food Safety; Street Food Vendors; Hygiene Practices; Food Safety Awareness

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