Abstract

Background: Every year, the World Health Organization selects a priority area of global public health concern as the theme for World Health Day, which falls on 7 April, the birthday of the Organization. The theme for World Health Day 2015 is Food Safety, a theme of high relevance to all people on the planet, and multiple stakeholders, including government, civil society, the private sector, and intergovernmental agencies. Issues mostly caused by food borne microbial pathogens are the leading causes of illness and death in the developing countries, killing an estimated 1.9 million persons annually at the global level. Not Much information is available on knowledge, attitude and awareness of food safety among food vendors in Tamil Nadu and hence this survey was under taken with that aim. Material and methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire study conducted amongst the street food vendors of Chennai and kanchipuram. 149 food vendors operating in the major street, offices, colleges were randomly selected for the study. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0 and responses were calculated in frequencies and percentages. Results: 94.6% (n=141) had awareness about the Agmark regulations and 85.2% (n=127) of the respondents took a note of the expiry dates of the products used for cooking. 31.5% (n=47) of the vendors had no idea about the harmful effects of packed food. Awareness about various diseases like swine flu spreading through animals and birds was found in 92.5% (n=138) of the respondents. Only 1.3% (n=2) of them had an idea about various food related awareness programmes existing. Conclusion: The need for improving the knowledge, attitude and practices among food vendors where by food safety and handling can be improved. Regular inspection of food service facilities is essential. There is also need for governmental support in establishing food safety.

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