The poorest workers, from the slum areas and without permanent employment are particularly dependent on this ‘street food’. On average residents of the slum areas eat a street meal three to four times per week.
From interviews with more than 60 vendors, the nutrition researchers concluded that the hygiene with which the food was prepared was mostly dependent on the requirements made by the consumers. Providing the vendors with more knowledge about hygiene scarcely has any effect. Furthermore, the circumstances on the streets make it difficult to prepare and store food in a proper hygienic manner. There is also a lack of clean water. It is therefore hardly surprising that the somewhat wealthier workers mostly eat in lunchrooms.
Street vendors of meals are banned from the business centre of Nairobi. The government wishes to ensure that this part of the city gives the impression of a developed country and street vendors do not fit in such an image. The researchers find this regrettable because apart from being an important source of nutrition, the preparation and selling of street food provides much employment.
The most frequently sold food on the streets in Nairobi is mandazi, similar to doughnuts but then shaped like a pasty. In addition to this snack many complete meals are sold. Particularly popular is a mixture of red beans with maize and perhaps some vegetables mixed in. In addition to this many chapatis are sold; pancakes which originate from India. They are often eaten with chickpeas. A more traditional lunch can also be obtained. This consists of a stodgy puree of maize flour with some leafy vegetables, such as kale or spinach.
For further information please contact Dr Hilda van 't Riet, (Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University), tel. +31 (0)317 483312, fax. +31 (0)317 482782, e-mail hilda.vantriet@staff.nutepi.wau.nl or Dr Alice Mwangi (University of Nairobi, Unit of Applied Nutrition), e-mail ammwangi@africaonline.co.ke . Both doctoral theses were defended on 5 March 2002.
The research was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).