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SAFETY PRACTICES OF FOOD VENDORS IN

ROSARIO NIGHT MARKET

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

BY:

ABANTE, RIZA M.
CUENCA, MAY ANN B.
MANDIGMA, LEAH U.

Chapter I
THE PROBLEM
Introduction
Good Health leads to a longer, fuller and more fruitful life. Health is lifes true

wealth, especially when all the members of society enjoy its benefits.
-World Health OrganizationThe foundation of health and happiness depends on the wise selection of
food. Careful selection of food is essential to good health. One who is nourished
with the proper kind and right amount of food is generally a healthy person.
Certain food helps prevent illnesses. Generally speaking, the right choice of food
improves ones health, prevents illness and keeps him well.
A Night Market is a grouping of temporary outdoor stalls operated by petty
traders where products are displayed for sale. The night market popularity steamed
from the convenience they provided for the local residents to do shopping for their
household needs within their residential areas. Thus, they provided an alternative
shopping option. Additionally, the night markets, with their friendly and relaxed
atmosphere, allowed the customers to enjoy the diverse environment, the wide
choices of freshly cooked food and fresh vegetables at affordable prices. The
atmosphere, the sight, the smell, the sound, and the food were among the factors
that contributed to repeat visitations. Visiting the night market had become a

popular leisure activity for the locals. They would stroll from one end of the night
market to the other end, spent time looking over the goods, greeted some friends
along the way, acknowledged the traders, asked for the prices of products,
bargained for some discounts, and they may choose to buy or just walked on.
(Ahmad et.al, 2006)
Street foods are appreciated for their unique flavors as well as
their convenience. They are often essential for maintaining the nutritional status of
the population. Street food vending assures food security for low-income rural
populations. It provides a livelihood for a large number of workers who would
otherwise be unable to establish a business for want of capital. Street food vending
also offers business opportunities for developing entrepreneurs. In contrast to these
potential benefits, it is also recognized that street-food vendors are often poor,
uneducated and lack appreciation for safe food handling. Consequently, street
foods are perceived to be a major public health risk. If a community is to have the
full benefits of street-vended foods with minimal risk of food-borne disease,
government intervention is required to ensure that the standard safety for such
food is the best attainable in the context of the prevailing local situation (World
Health Organization, 2004).
Young and adults, male and female, employed and unemployed spend their
leisure time eating in the night market. They prefer eating street foods and ready to
eat foods, buy ready to cook foods which can be found in the night market.

Sometimes even lovers, friends prefer having their dates in the night market rather
than spending their dates in a high class restaurant. Night market also serves as
leisure place for students who are tired for the whole day staying at the school.
This is the place where they can eat merienda, and the likes.
The researchers propose this study to inform the food vendors in Rosario
night market about the importance of proper food handling. To notify them that
there are proper food handling standards that they need to follow.
Statement of the Problem
This study aim to determine the safety practices observe by the food
vendors in the night market.
Specifically, the study seek answers to the following questions:
1. How do they prepare foods to be sold in the night market?
2. What kind of foods they sell
2.1 ready to eat foods;
2.2 ready to cook foods; and
2.3 street foods?
3. What is the quality of food handling practices of vendors in Rosario
night market?
4. Is there a significant difference in proper food handling base on their:
4.1 age;
4.2 sex;
4.3 educational attainment; and
4.4 vending experience?
5. Is there any health certificate required before they get food stall
Scope, Limitation and Delimitation of the Study

The main intention of this study is to find out if the food vendors in the
Rosario Night Market are engaged in the proper food handling. It covers on how
vendors prepare foods. In addition, this study will tackle the significant effects of
different profiles of food vendors in proper food handling. The investigation is
limited only to the food vendors in Rosario Night Market. The data that may
gather in the investigation will be used as our guide in writing our study.
However, this study did not cover the possible effects of non-practice of proper
food handling and the health problems that the consumers may get due to eating
contaminated foods.
Significance of the Study
The researchers strongly believe that the result of this study will be
beneficial to the food vendors, students, workers, ordinary people and the future
researchers.
Food Vendors. With the help of our study, vendors are able to know the
food safety practices that they must follow. In the preparation and handling of food
products with regards to its quality and safety. This will contribute to the basic
information of proper handling and hygienic preparation of food among vendors
and will serve as a guide to produce best results. The vendors will be given the
necessary suggestions and recommendations to improve on their mistakes and
shortcomings to make safe and healthy food products. This study will promote
sufficient response to the consumers.

Consumers. They can afford the foods available in night market and also
they have an assurance that these foods are safe to eat. It will also help the
peoples know the basic right to sufficient quantities of safe and nutritious foods at
affordable costs. It will also warn the public to be watchful and cautious about the
health hazards which may be brought about by the unsanitary handling of the
foods by the vendors. The consumer will become more rigorous in purchasing the
foods for they have already adequate information about the quality of the food
vended, its sanitary preparation and handling, excessive use of additives, exposure
to contaminants, and bacterial, viral or microbial content that could impinge on
their health.
Sanitation Department. In determining the food sanitation of a certain
area, in this case, Rosario Night Market, Rosario, Batangas. It will give them an
idea whether food vendors in Rosario Night Market are complying with the correct
policies and protocols in selling food products and thus, will prompt them to take
necessary actions to ensure the quality of foods being vended.
Researchers. As the researchers, we are also beneficiary of this study. We
can evaluate who among the food vendors in the night market are following the
proper food handling. We can buy foods on the one who follow the proper food
handling.
Future Researchers. Our study will serve as a reference to them whenever
they want to conduct a study related to it.

Chapter II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter presents the conceptual literature, research literature,
synthesis, conceptual framework, research paradigm, theoretical framework,
hypothesis and definition of terms. It forms the background of the study and

provides insights that helps the researchers conceptualized the framework

necessary to the background.
Conceptual Literature
Food Handlers often have little understanding of the risks of microbial or
chemical contamination of food or how to avoid them. The job is frequently of low
status and poorly paid, which leads to poor motivation. Rapid staff turnover also
causes problems. Food Handlers should therefore receive suitable training in the
basic principles of food safety. Particular attention should be given to the
importance of time

and temperature

control,

personal hygiene, cross

contamination, sources of contamination and the factors determining the survival

and growth of pathogenic organisms in food. The need to report illness
immediately to the supervisor must be stressed.
Nutrition is an input to and foundation for health and development. Better
nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. It is a
prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality
of life. Without proper nutrition, malnutrition can occur, due to inadequate intake
of protein, energy, and micronutrients such as vitamins (WHO, 2001).
To promote adequate nutrition, food safety in the Philippines has
received increasing attention due to a number of factors. First, a respectable
proportion of the food establishments are of the small and medium scale, where
strict implementation of food safety regulations is wanting. Second, poverty

remains a major factor to reckon with, and consequently results to low literacy on
food safety, especially in the rural areas. Third, consumers enjoy wider choices
and lower prices under a more liberalized trade regime but are usually not so
knowledgeable on the production, storage and handling processes of the available
commodities. Fourth, the changing lifestyle of many Filipinos has forced them to
rely on cooked foods which are questionable in terms of their cleanliness.
Nowadays, food handlers are definitely observable in their food handling
mismanagement, because of this, laws were implemented so that entrepreneurs/
vendors would ensure that the publics concerns on food security and safety are
acknowledged and responded to. Today, the policy framework and implementing
guidelines for food safety and hygiene in the country are now in place. Sanitation
has been gaining increased attention recently due to the rising number of foodborne illnesses and malnutrition worldwide. Even though there are food regulatory
laws, proper management of nutrition and sanitation remains to be an issue in
many countries including Philippines. The causes of food borne illness are
multifaceted. Some major risk factors of food borne illness are related
to

employee

behaviors

and

preparation

practices in food service

establishments (WHO, 2000).

At the end of the training period, the knowledge and understanding of food
safety on the part of food handlers should be tested and it is suggested that a
health card certifying an acceptable level of attainment should be issued to those

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who passed the test. Posters can be displayed in work places to remind food
handlers of what they have learned. (World Health Organization, 2000).
Nowadays,

food handlers are definitely observable in their

food handling mismanagement, because of this, laws were implemented so that

entrepreneurs/ vendors would ensure that the publics concerns on food security
and safety are acknowledged and responded to. Today, the policy framework and
implementing guidelines for food safety and hygiene in the country are now in
place. Sanitation has been gaining increased attention recently due to
the rising number of food-borne illnesses and malnutrition worldwide. Even
though there are food regulatory laws, proper management of nutrition and
sanitation remains to be an issue in many countries including Philippines. The
causes of food borne illness are multifaceted. Some major risk factors of
food borne illness are related to employee behaviors and preparation
practices in food service establishments (WHO, 2000).
Foods sold in the night market are very well patronized in many
developing countries since they are affordable, easily accessible and also serve as
an important source of income. However, these foods largely do not meet proper
hygienic standards and can therefore lead to morbidity and mortality due to food
borne illnesses, and concomitant effects on trade and development.
Food-borne illnesses are growing public health concerns worldwide and
results from food contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms, mycotoxins or

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chemical hazards. This concern is heightened by the fact that, worldwide there
seems to be a change in lifestyle and food consumption patterns as frequency of
eating out is increasing and commitment to food preparation at home is
decreasing.
Food contamination in developing countries is caused by many factors
including

traditional

food

processing

methods,

in

appropriate

holding

temperatures, and poor personal hygiene of food handlers. Further, the prevalence
of food borne illnesses in developing countries is intertwined with other economic
and developmental issues, namely, legislation, infrastructure and enforcement
mechanisms. Specific examples include inadequacy of food safety laws, laxity in
regulatory enforcement, and the lack of education of poor food handlers.
Food vendors may contaminate food by poor personal hygiene, crosscontaminating raw and processed, as well as inadequate cooking and proper
storage of food. Maintaining high food safety levels in food services is very
important because any incidences can affect a high number of consumers. (Studies
in Sociology of Science Vol. 1, No. 1, 2010).
According to John (1999), some people have a foolish way of not minding,
or pretending not to mind, what they eat. Proper Health and Nutrition cannot be
attained if they cant put in their mind the habits that should be undertake.
Knowledgeable about the foods and their habits has a great impact in ones life to
attain healthy mind and body.

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Research Literature
According to Edlin (2002), health like happiness is a quality of life that is
difficult to define and impossible to measure. Health is defined currently among
experts, but all definitions have a common theme: Self responsibility and a healthy
style. It is an integrated method functioning which is over tied towards
maintaining the potential of which the individual is capable. It requires that the
individual maintain a continuum of balance and purposeful direction which the
environment where he/she is functioning.
The street food industry has an important role in the cities and towns of
many developing countries in meeting the food demands of the urban dwellers. It
feeds millions of people daily with a wide variety of foods that are relatively cheap
and easily accessible. Street food sector symbolizes the street life in Africa and it
operates in an unstable and precarious state because the sector lacks legal
recognition. There have been noticeable increases of food vendors in Nairobi, who
sell both raw and cooked food items. There are not regulated, they operate
haphazardly without any monitoring of what they prepare and how they do it. A
study to determine hygienic and sanitary practices of vendors of street foods in
Nairobi was carried out using a descriptive survey design. (Onesmus Muinde,
2005).
This paper provides an overview of developments in food safety policy in
major industrial countries and of economic analysis of this policy. It describes the

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elements of a risk-based, farm-to-fork food safety system as it is emerging in

OECD countries guided by discussions through Codex Alimentarius and traces its
roots in the development of risk management policy in the United States. The goal
of this paper is to provide a nontechnical introduction to food safety policy and
economics for students, economists and others interested in food safety policy, but
new to the field. (Sandra Hoffman, 2010).
There are hundreds of types of food-borne diseases, but most food-borne
illnesses can be prevented in healthy individuals if certain precautions are taken;
however, food-insecure individuals are more susceptible to food-borne illness
because of possible immune suppression. For this reason there is a need for food
safety education and training for food handlers who serve this vulnerable
population. Also, research suggests that food safety education is effective in
increasing the adoption of safe food handling behaviors. (Waggoner, 2004).

Pamphl

Flyers

Research et
Paradigm
Input

QuestionProcess

naires
Observati
on

Output

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Profile of
vendors
Proper
food
handling

Figure 1
Research Paradigm in the Safety Practices of Food Vendors in Rosario
Night Market.

Definition of Terms
Food. A material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrates and fats
used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair and vital processes and

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to furnish energy. Any substance whether simple, mixed or compounded that is

used as food, drink, confectionery or condiments.
Safety. Freedom from harm or danger; the state of being safe. Overall
quality of food fit for consumption.
Practices. To do or perform customarily or habitually; systematic exercise
for proficiency.
Cleanliness. Absence of visible soil or dirt and is not necessarily sanitized.
Food safety. Scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and
storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of
routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. The
tracks within this line of thought are safety between industry and the market and
then between the market and the consumer. In considering industry to market
practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the
practices relating to food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide
residues, as well as policies on biotechnology and food and guidelines for the
management of governmental import and export inspection and certification
systems for foods. In considering market to consumer practices, the usual thought
is that food ought to be safe in the market and the concern is safe delivery and
preparation of the food for the consumer.

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