TITLE:
Factors Contributing to Contamination of Street Foods in Bamako, Mali
AUTHORS:
Demba Dembele, Mamadou Wele, Bawa Boya, Haziz Sina, Basile Boni Saka Konmy, Adolphe Adjanohoun, Lamine Baba-Moussa
KEYWORDS:
Factors, Source, Contamination, Street Food, Bamako
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.15 No.3,
March
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization states that foodborne diseases are a
worldwide public health issue. Although street foods can provide nutritious and
affordable ready-to-eat meals for city dwellers, their health risks can
outweigh the benefits. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Bamako
district, focusing on street food vendors near schools, universities, extensive
markets, administrative centers, and major roads. We aimed to sample fifty (50)
sellers per municipality, making 300 sellers for the Bamako district. We
developed a survey sheet to collect data, and six teams rotated between the
municipalities each month. Before starting the collection, the teams were provided
administrative papers approved by the municipal authority. The survey revealed
three types of sales sites: fixed (65%), semi-fixed (30%), and mobile (4.40%).
The proportion of sellers was 26.8%, 23.2%, 19.7%, and 4.2% in municipalities
III, IV, and I. In municipalities I, II, III, IV, and VI, respectively, 92%,
95.70%, 93%, 87.2%, and 100% of the sellers were female. The age distribution
of sellers was 65.63%, 46.81%, 40.82%, 38.30%, 36.17%, 36%, and 32% in the
25-34 and 35 - 44 age groups. Illiteracy rates were 59.20%, 61.70%, 55.30%, 75%, and 56%
in municipalities I, II, III, IV, and VI, respectively. The study identified
two categories of sellers: 48.3% in type 1 and 51.7% in type 2. The first
category comprised 154 sellers, and the second 165 sellers. The survey found
that 66.00%, 56.00%, 48.90%, 44.90%, 38.30%, and 34.40% of municipal V, VI,
III, I, II, and IV sales sites were open-air. In municipality I, 63.30% of the
sites were under hangars, while in municipalities II and IV, the corresponding
percentages were 51.10% and 59.40%, respectively. Moreover, 46.00%, 31.90%,
31.30%, 30.60%, and 27.70% of the sites in municipalities VI, II, IV, I, and
III were located next to gutters. In conclusion, this study identified several
factors that could compromise the quality of street foods sold in the six
municipalities of Bamako.