Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Food Control
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont

Hygiene knowledge and practices of night market food vendors

in Tainan City, Taiwan
Yi-Mei Sun a, *, Shu-Tai Wang b, Kuo-Wei Huang a
a
Department of Food and Beverage Management, University of Kang-Ning, No.188 An-Chung Road, Section 5, An-Nan District, Tainan City 709, Taiwan, ROC
b
Department of Hospitality Management, College of Agriculture, Tunghai University, No. 181, Section 3, Taichung Harbor Road, Taichung City 407, Taiwan, ROC

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Night markets are a unique part of Taiwanese culture and are ideal places to visit to taste local delicacies.
Received 17 November 2010 “Visiting night markets” not only has become a habit for local residents, but also a particular favorite for
Received in revised form non-local tourists. Street food vending in the night markets has been increasing for several years but this
29 June 2011
growth presents public health challenges, with evidence of diarrheal diseases. Therefore, there are
Accepted 5 July 2011
emerging needs for understanding the hygiene knowledge and practices of food vendors to ensure
hygienic preparation of street foods. This empirical study can be used in understanding the current
Keywords:
situation of food hygiene practices in tourist night markets and in exploring proper strategies for
Food safety
Hygiene
improving food safety at the markets.
Street food vendors Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Night market

1. Introduction Taiwanese society (Chang, Kivela, & Mak, 2010; Taiwan Tourism
Bureau, 2003). Eating out was the dominant leisure activity for
Vendors in night markets have played an important part in the these night market tourists with an average frequency of once
socioeconomic development of Taiwan. No matter where you visit a month for local residents (Chang & Hsieh, 2006).
in Taiwan, night markets can be found with flourishing businesses, Taiwan’s night markets are usually formed at populated areas
numerous consumers, and fairly priced goods including clothes, and foods sold in open spaces around the year under warm
shoes, accessories, games, and foods. More people have turned to temperature; fresh or cooked foods (ex. fresh cut fruit, breads, soy
informal food vending as a source of livelihood (Gadaga, Samende, sauce or salty water braised meat products, fresh fish or meat
Musuna, & Chibanda, 2008). By the end of 2003, Taiwan offered cooked on site) were usually exposed in above conditions for sale
more than 150,000 food and beverage operations on the street; for up to 8 h which have placed foods in a worrying situation. This
more than 40% of the street vendors in night markets are food has exposed the common risk factors such as insanitary conditions,
outlets (DGBAS [Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and long hours at temperature danger zone (40e140  F), cross
Statistics of Taiwan], 2005). A food vending business requires less contamination between cooked and raw food and inadequate
equipment and earns a better margin than other businesses, and holding temperature.
they have become the most common kind of vendors in night There were usually epidemiological data on the incidences of
markets (DGBAS, 2008); hence, the number has undoubtedly foodborne diseases in the destination with popular street vending
grown since then due to food vendors being able to provide food for foods (Ekanem, 1998), and the data also implied that the foods
lower prices during the slow economy. prepared and sold by street vendors were responsible for the
Night market foods, are popular due to their taste, convenience, spread of zoonoses (diseases spread from animals to people),
varieties, and low prices; and it has been reported that reasons for particularly in developing countries (King, Awumbila, Canacoo, &
visitors going to night market were mostly for food (Chang & Hsieh, Ofosu-Amaah, 2000). Rheinländer et al. (2008) reported that the
2006; Hanashiro, Morita, Mattẻ, Mattẻ, & Torres, 2005). Night increase in popularity of street food presents public health chal-
markets are among the top three attractions for inbound tourists lenges due to the safety of food is difficult to practice at street
and foreigner to indulge themselves and explore the culture of levels. There were 4460 foodborne illness cases reported in Taiwan
by the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health
of Taiwan during the period of 1981e2009 (FDA Taiwan, 2009);
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ886 6 2552500x52210; fax: þ886 6 2550073. reported cases also showed an increasing trend as time increased.
E-mail address: ysun30@ukn.edu.tw (Y.-M. Sun). The major place for foodborne illness occurrence from 1981 to 1990

0956-7135/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.07.003
160 Y.-M. Sun et al. / Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164

was at home but food providing places (ex. restaurants, food Table 1
markets) have become the dominating places for food poisons Categories of food vendors in five night markets in Tainan City.

occurrence from the year of 1991e2009. Street vending caused Night Drinks and Staple Soups Fruits Snacks
foodborne illness cases were also reported in the data from FDA market juices foods
Taiwan (2009) which also showing an increasing trend. More Da-dong 19 (14.0%) 10 (7.4%) 5 (3.7%) 4 (3.0%) 97 (71.8%)
than half of the foodborne cases reported previously were Xiao-bei 24 (13.8%) 9 (5.2%) 7 (4.0%) 8 (4.6%) 125 (72.6%)
Wu-sheng 25 (15.4%) 16 (9.8%) 7 (4.3%) 4 (2.5%) 110 (67.9%)
unknown sources (2236 out of 4460). It is reasonable to suspect
Yong-hua 7 (8.5%) 8 (9.8%) 4 (4.9%) 4 (4.9%) 59 (71.9%)
that there might be more cases caused from vending foods which Hua-yuan 32 (16.0%) 15 (7.7%) 9 (4.5%) 4 (2.0%) 136 (69.0%)
are provided under limited facilities and improperly controlled
ambient temperature during vending. With the increasing safety Average 15.6 (13.54%) 11.6 (7.98%) 6.4 (4.28%) 4.8 (3.4%) 105.4(70.64%)
consciousness in this modern world, precise regulation and solid
practice is required for outbreak prevention. However, the data also
indicated that more people are depending on outsourcing food
vendors were surveyed; there were 17 stands selling drinks and
supplies and public food safety was failed to execute the proper
juices, 9 stands of staple foods, 5 stands of soups, 4 stands of fruits,
standards. The limited facilities at night markets cannot offer too
and 85 stands of snacks. The surveys were conducted for three
much guarantee on the food safety quality. Therefore, the hygiene
months from January to March, 2009. The food providers in the
practice will heavily rely on the extra caution from the practi-
night market were asked to answer the questions on site. A meta-
tioners. The food safety knowledge and practices of street food
analysis was conducted to explore the relationships between the
vendors are the key point in maintaining street food safety since
background of the vendors and their hygiene knowledge and
the risk factors for food safety are mainly subjected to the food
practices.
handlers.
Most safety and hygiene research on street food vending
revealed that problems of street foods were lack of sanitary vending 3. Results and discussion
environments, lack of food preparation knowledge, and lack of food
safety monitoring (Ekanem, 1998; Lucca, & Ferraz da Silva Torres, 3.1. Profile of night market street food vendors and vended foods at
2006; Lues, Rasephei, Venter, & Theron, 2006; Toh & Tainan City
Birchenough, 2000). Research also showed that most government
agencies did not have definite regulations for the safety of street The five main night markets in Tainan City are formed with
food vending (Muinde & Kuri, 2005; Omemu & Aderoju, 2008). mobile stands and the same vendors might vend at different night
Most street food vendors and handlers in Africa and other devel- markets on different days of the week. Total vending stand
oping countries usually were ignorant of basic food safety issues, numbers in these markets ranged from 151 to 434 stands (average
were often unlicensed, and were untrained in food hygiene while of 353 stands), and the number of food stands ranged from 82 to
working under crude unsanitary conditions selling unregulated 196 stands with an average of 150 food stands (an average of 43.9%
food items and operating without any monitoring of the foods they of the total stands). The food types vended at each night market
sold. The food handlers in food processing plants and restaurants (see Table 1) were classified according to the WHO (1996) cate-
are regulated by government regulations in Taiwan (Food GHP, gories; snack stands dominated (70.64%), followed by drinks and
2000); however, street food vendors are not required to comply juices (13.54%), staple foods (7.98%), soups (4.28%), and fruits (3.4%).
with this same regulations. Consumers were probably visiting night markets after their dinners
Tainan City is one of the oldest and most important cities in Table 2
Taiwan; the famous so-called Taiwanese delicacies are especially Socio-demographic characteristics of night market street food vendors studied in
prevalent in Tainan City. Therefore, Tainan City’s night markets Tainan City (N ¼ 120).
have become a must-visit attraction for delicacy pursuers where Parameters Descriptors Frequency %
represent and reflect local gastronomy culture of Taiwan (Tainan Gender Male 69 57.5
City Tour Association, 2006), thus the image of night markets Female 51 42.5
needs to be promoted and the safety of vended foods needs to be Age <30 30 25.0
ensured. There are only few research reports related to street 30 and above 90 75.0
Marital status Unmarried 16 13.3
vending in Taiwan and none of them were related to food safety Married 104 86.7
issues at night markets. Therefore, the purpose of this research was Education attainment No schooling 9 7.5
to investigate the current hygiene knowledge and practices of Primary school 30 25.0
tourist night market street food vendors in Tainan City. Middle school 24 20.0
High (or vocational) school 52 43.3
College or above 5 4.2
2. Material and methods Length of time spent <5 years 54 45.0
vending (years) 6e10 years 42 35.0
A questionnaire developed by Omemu and Aderoju (2008) with 11e15 years 15 12.5
42 related items was modified along with Taiwanese food regula- >16 years 9 7.5
Acquisition of knowledge Through observation 24 20.0
tions (Food GHP, 2000) for surveying the hygiene knowledge and of food preparation Formal training 23 19.2
practices of night market street food vendors. The self- Family business 50 41.7
administered questionnaire was structured in four parts: socio- Others 23 19.2
demographic characteristics of night market vendors, food safety Obtained hygiene Yes 25 20.8
education training No 95 79.2
knowledge, health knowledge, and personal hygiene knowledge
Food-related certificates With 23 19.2
and practices. Five of the most popular tourist night markets rec- Without 97 80.8
ommended by Tainan City Tour Association (2006) were chosen in Valid chef license With 17 14.2
this research. Following guidelines of the World Health Organiza- Without 103 85.8
tion (WHO, 1996), food stands were divided into five categories in Health examination With 16 13.3
certification within a year Without 104 86.7
this research based on the type of food vended. A total of 120
 Y.-M. Sun et al. / Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164 161

and thus were searching for snacks instead of staple foods, which Table 4
might be the reason that snack food had the most vendors among Knowledge of Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHF) among night market street food
vendors in Tainan City (N ¼ 120).
all food stands.
Socio-demographic data for 120 night market street food Food item n %
vendors at Tainan City were collected in the categories of gender, Red meat 61 53.3
age, educational attainment, marital status, length of time spent Canned foods 50 43.9
Poultry 60 52.6
vending (years), acquisition of knowledge of food preparation,
Milk 78 68.4
food-related certificates, valid health certification, hygiene educa- Cheese 24 21.1
tion training, and valid chef license. Results (see Table 2) showed Fish 59 51.8
that the majority of the respondents (57.5%) were male. One Shellfish 66 57.9
possible reason for this is that Taiwan’s culture is tone of patriarchy. Shelled egg 43 37.7
Sprouts 13 11.4
Seventy-five percent of vendors were over 30 years old and 25% Cooked rice/noodles 9 7.9
were less than 30 years old. Approximately 86.7% of the night Cooked foods 33 28.9
market street vendors were married. Only 7.5% of respondents had
n ¼ number of positive responses.
no formal education while 43.3% had graduated from senior high or
vocational school. The length of time in the food vending trade was low in food safety knowledge. This is shown in the shallow
commonly less than 5 years (45%), followed by 6e10 years (35%), knowledge of food safety regulations like GHP (Good Hygiene
11e15 years (12.5%), and above 16 years (7.5%) with an average Practices) or HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) of
length of trading experience being 7.43 years. night market street food vendors; only 19.2% of the vendor heard
Few vendors (19.2%) acquired their knowledge of food prepa- about GHP or HACCP and fewer (4.2%) understood the two concepts
ration through formal training while the largest part (41.7%) of the among the 120 investigated vendors. GHP and HACCP are not well-
food vendors acquired their knowledge from family businesses. regulated or enforced in Taiwan and this should be the main reason
Less than 20% of the food vendors surveyed had food preparation for the lack of food safety knowledge.
related licenses, and most of these licenses were at the basic level The knowledge of night market street food vendors about
(C) of Chinese cooking. Only 14.2% of the vendors with food prep- potentially hazardous foods (PHF) were shown in Table 4. Among all
aration licenses have valid chef licenses. Most vendors (79.2%) have the PHF listed, the most widely known was milk (68.4%), followed by
not attended any food hygiene training courses. Because Tainan shellfish (57.9%), red meat (53.3%), poultry (52.6%), and fish (51.8%);
City is an earlier developed destination compared to other cities in the least widely known PHF was cooked noodles or rice (7.9%).
Taiwan where people and vendors gathering, many food vendors Cooked noodles or rice may be susceptible to the growth of Bacillus
had inherited this business from their families. According to the cereus if not proper handled; however, respondents seemed to have
Good Hygiene Practice of Taiwan government regulation, foodser- less knowledge of this food hazard. This lack of food safety knowl-
vice workers should have valid health examination as part of the edge also showed in knowledge about sprouts (the second most
requirement for applying a food service related job, and continue ignored food, 11.4%). Although sprouts are generally recognized as
with a valid health examination every year (Food GHP, 2000). the functional food ingredient and planted in a nutrient fortified
However, 86.7% food vendors did not have valid certificates for water bed with some soil, most of the sprouts are consumed raw and
health examination mainly because the vending business is not with some part of the attached root. This could cause serious food
well-regulated or closely monitored in Taiwan compared to other hazard problem since it is vulnerable to E. coli contamination like the
foodservice businesses. recent fatal outbreak in German in spring 2011.
Results of the human power distributions during night market Food and food workers may be sources for food cross contam-
vending are shown in Table 3; the average business hours per day ination. Perceptions about food contamination knowledge among
were 8.25 h. There were approximately 2.35 workers per stand night market street food vendors are shown in Table 5. Most
with 1.65 persons dealing with food preparation, and an average of
0.3 persons had food-related licenses per stand. The vending hours
per day for vendors are long and the safety of food sold at tourist Table 5
night markets could be in the temperature danger zone for a long Food contamination knowledge exhibited by night market street food vendors in
time; if vendors were lacking of proper food handling hygiene Tainan City (N ¼ 120).

knowledge, the probability of causing foodborne illnesses will be Topics n %

high and deeply concerned. 1. Type of food contaminations include.
Parasites and worms 103 88.0
Splinters of wood, shards of glass, or metal flakes 94 80.3
3.2. Food safety knowledge of respondents Invisible germs in foods 95 81.2
Kerosene oil, detergent, or other similar 79 67.5
Local governments in Taiwan do not hold any records or provide products
assistance in controlling food-related certificates or licenses of Hair, skin flakes 72 61.5
Food coloring, flavorings, and spices 30 25.6
vendors in night markets. A consequence was that vendors were Insects, insect and rodent droppings, or dirt 107 91.5
Dirty hands 95 81.2
Table 3 Saliva 63 53.8
Human power distributions during practices of night market street food vending in 2. Symptoms of foodborne illness
Tainan City (N ¼ 120). Stomach ache 75 62.5
Diarrhea 118 98.3
Human power distributions Average SD
Vomit 96 80.0
Vending hours per day 8.25 1.023 Nausea 37 30.8
Vending years 7.43 4.784 Headache 25 20.8
Number of workers per stand 2.35 1.339 Seizure 42 35.0
Food preparation persons per stand 1.65 0.885 Difficulty breathing 38 31.7
Food preparation persons 0.30 0.643 Allergy 62 51.7
with license per stand
n ¼ number of positive responses.
162 Y.-M. Sun et al. / Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164

vendors (91.5%) had considered “insects, insect and rodent drop- Table 7
pings, or dirt” to be the main contamination sources for food, fol- Health and personal hygiene practices of night market street food vendors in Tainan
City (N ¼ 120).
lowed by “parasites and worms” (88.0%), “invisible germs in foods”
(81.2%), “dirty hands” (81.2%), and “splinters of wood, shards of Topics n %
glass, or metal flakes” (80.3%). “Food coloring, flavorings, and 1.Ailments that temporarily prevented vendors from vending or cooking foods
spices” was the least widely known source for food contamination Fever 54 45.4
Cough and colds 88 73.9
(25.6%). Only one fourth vendors knew there were possible
Diarrhea 71 59.7
contaminations that might be concealed in seasonings and spices, Nausea 47 39.5
this implied that food vendors were less acquainted with possible Vomiting 33 27.7
chemical contamination concealed in foods. Open wounds on hands 101 84.9
As for the results of vendors’ knowledge about symptoms Sore eyes 93 78.2
Stomach cramps 70 58.8
caused by foodborne illnesses (Table 5), the two most recognized Hepatitis 32 26.9
symptoms were diarrhea (98.3%) and vomiting (80%), and the least Sick member of family 20 16.8
familiar symptoms were nausea (30.8%) and headache (20.8%). Others 6 5.0
Symptoms of food poisoning depend on the type of contaminant 2. Hand cleaning requirements
Clean water 83 74.8
and the amount eaten, and most of the common contaminants
Soap 40 36.0
cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping (Cunha, Clean handkerchief or paper 91 82.0
2008); however, results showed that vendors were not familiar towel
with all the possible foodborne illness symptoms. Regarding the Disinfection solution 2 1.8
health knowledge of vendors in coping with foodborne illness 3. Reasons for hand washing
Touching money 27 22.9
(shown in Table 6), 51.7% of the vendors chose “helping to vomit Handling garbage 86 81.4
and call ambulance right away,” 29.2% chose “not doing anything Blowing nose 48 40.7
but call ambulance right away,” and 19.2% chose “drinking lots of After eating meals 48 40.7
water and call ambulance right away.” The main treatment for food After using the toilets 110 93.2
Handling raw foods 33 28.0
poisoning is putting fluids back in the body (the process of rehy-
Scratching 24 20.3
dration), by drinking if possible, and the victims may need to be Continuous food handling 23 19.5
admitted to the hospital (Cunha, 2008). Results indicated that most After touching wiping cloth 50 42.2
vendors were not certain of what to do in handling foodborne After touching detergent 64 54.2
illness situations. n ¼ number of positive responses.

3.3. Health and personal hygiene of respondents provision for hand washing was unsatisfactory (36%) and disin-
fection solution was rare (1.8%). Vendors washed hands frequently
Health and personal hygiene practices reported by vendors after using toilets (93.2%), but wash hands less commonly with
about “ailments that temporarily prevented vendors from vending situations like touching money (22.9%), scratching (20.3%), or
or cooking foods,” “hand washing requirements,” and “reasons for continuous food handling (19.5%). Infrastructures for night markets
hand washing” were also investigated and the results are shown in like toilets, hand-washing facilities varied in different night
Table 7. Results showed that open wounds on hands (89.4%), markets, results indicates that food venders usually ignored
coughing or cold (73.9%), sore eyes (78.2%), or stomach problems personal hygiene like hand washing. Night markets do not provide
(58.8%) were the most common symptoms that would stop vendors enough potable water sources for food vendors for proper hand
from working. However, Taiwan government regulations require washing and cleaning. Carrying washing water is heavy and occu-
“Employees suffering Type A Hepatitis, skin lesions and certain pying the space for vending, which resulted in most night market
kinds of infection which may cause illness, are not allowed to vendors cleaning their hands with paper towels or tissues instead
handle food” (Food GHP, 2000), that means sick food handlers with of water.
any symptom who may cause food contamination should not work
with nor deal with foods.
3.4. Hygiene knowledge and practices of respondents
The hands of personnel who directly prepare ready-to-eat food
should wash their hands using soap and running water then dry
Hygiene knowledge and practices of night market street food
with a single-use towel; hand sanitizers may be used as a proper
vendors at Tainan City were investigated then cross-analyzed with
step in hand washing or shall wear waterproof gloves which have
their socio-demographic characteristics. The meta-analysis of this
been cleaned and disinfected (CDC, 2010; Food GHP, 2000). Among
personal profile indicated that both hygiene knowledge and prac-
the five tourist night markets in Tainan City, only one provides
tices of night market street food vendors at Tainan City were
a designated washing and cleaning area for vendors, but the water
affected by their socio-demographic characteristics (see Table 8).
is still a distance away from the vending stands instead of right at
The personal hygiene knowledge and practices of tourist night
the stand. Due to this limited access to water, a clean handkerchief
market food vendors were affected by their gender; traditionally,
or paper towel was used most (82%) for hand cleaning during night
females were involved more in cooking and this might be why
market business hours, followed by clean water (74.8%). Soap
females showed better hygiene knowledge and practices than
Table 6 males. Vendors younger than 30 years had better hygiene knowl-
Health knowledge of handling methods during foodborne illness occurrences of edge and practice scores than those older than 30. Education level
night market street food vendors in Tainan City (N ¼ 120).
and marriage status were also important factors for hygiene
Knowledge of handling methods during foodborne illnesses n % knowledge and practices of vendors but no obvious trends could be
Helping to vomit and call ambulance right away 62 51.7 concluded. Generally speaking, vendors with less than 10 years in
Drinking lots of water and call ambulance right away 23 19.2 the business showed better hygiene knowledge and practices than
Not doing anything but call ambulance right away 35 29.2 those with more than 10 years. Vendors’ understanding of food
n ¼ number of positive responses. hygiene mostly come from their previous education background or
 Y.-M. Sun et al. / Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164 163

Table 8
The effects of personal profile on hygiene knowledge and practices of night market street food vendors in Tainan City.

Issues Gender Age Education Marital Vending Health Chef Hygiene

status duration check license training
Bathe and clean clothes a a ab b
Wear hair restraints and aprons bb a b ab
Wear masks during vending bb a aa aa b aa
Wear and change gloves bb a a a a abb aa
Aware of possible nail polish contamination abb aa aab aa aa aab aa b
Wash hands after handling money aabb aab aa aa aa aa
Wash and wipe hands after toilets abb abb aa
No visible dirt on hands when abb bb b b aa b
handling foods
Wash hands after touching raw ingredients abb bb ab ab
Wash hands after handling cooked foods bb aab aa aab aa
Wash hands after touching abb abb ab aa b
chemicals or detergents
Wash hands after handling garbage abb a a b
or used utensils
Stop working when have cold, cough, etc. bb aa ab aa b bb
Stop working when have diarrhea even aa aa a
if washing hands after toilet
Stop working when have open wounds on aa aa aa b b
hands even if fully bandaged

a ¼ p < 0.05; aa ¼ p < 0.01 for knowledge; b ¼ p < 0.05; bb ¼ p < 0.01 for practices; ab ¼ p < 0.05 for knowledge and practices; aabb ¼ p < 0.01 for knowledge for practices;
aab ¼ p < 0.01 for knowledge and p < 0.05 for practices; abb ¼ p < 0.05 for knowledge and p < 0.01 for practices.

common sense from watching family members working in the of insects or stray animals. Among the five night markets investi-
kitchen; a possible reason might be that young vendors most likely gated, most vendors kept their own trash bins or bags by the stands
learned food preparation in franchises or chain stores and thus without coverings that might attract insects and animals. Solid
were trained better in their hygiene knowledge and practices. wastes were later dumped in nearby large garbage containers and
Vendors with valid health certificates and food-related certifi- liquid waste was usually untreated and drained directly in the
cates or chef licenses showed better hygiene knowledge and gutters. Night market managements will clean the ground before the
practices than those without. This indicates that valid health second day and remove solid wastes to dump sites.
certificates, food-related certificates or chef licenses regulated by During actual observations, vendors were aware of the necessity
Taiwan government do help food vendors in food hygiene knowl- of wearing a mask and apron but did not comply. During rush hours
edge. Hygiene training of vendors did not affect their hygiene in night markets, food vendors did not have time to wash their hands
knowledge and only “wearing accessories or nail polish when with water and mostly used clean napkins or tissues for cleaning.
working” (a question was used by Lucca, and Ferraz da Silva Torres When vendors felt uncomfortable with an injury or sickness (like
(2006), Omemu and Aderoju (2008), and Jevsnik, Hlebec, and having a cold), if it wouldn’t affect their work, vendors would
Raspor (2008) as a indicator for evaluating personal cleanliness of continue working. This may sound unrealistic to ask vendors not to
food handlers) showed significant differences under practices. work at above conditions, but it was against Taiwan government
Vendors with food hygiene training knew that “wearing accessories regulations (Food GHP, 2000) for food handlers; and this same issue
or nail polish” might be a cause of food contamination, thus they was also discussed by Lucca, and Ferraz da Silva Torres (2006),
will avoid wearing jewelry or nail polish to reduce the risk while Omemu and Aderoju (2008), and Jevsnik et al. (2008).
handling food. Training of vendors or food handlers through education could be
More knowledge differences were observed than differences in one of the most effective interventions to achieve safe street foods
practices (see Table 8), one possible explanation might be that (Hanashiro et al., 2005), and would result in effective performance of
street vendors were aware of proper hygiene knowledge but rare hygienic practices (Egan et al., 2007). However, our research results
put them into practice. Another explanation for the differences is have shown that hygiene training of vendors did not affect their
that current training vendors have received is not providing enough hygiene knowledge and only one survey question showed signifi-
information, or the purpose of such training is not accomplished. cant differences in scores for practices, indicating that hygiene
training did not lead to increases in knowledge or effective practices.
4. Conclusions and recommendations It has been suggested that hygiene training should be conducted
at the workplace with increased training hours, which would result
Night markets in Tainan City are not only popular leisure spots for in improvements in food safety practice, and that effective food
residents but also famous places for local and international tourists. hygiene training needs to target changing the behaviors of street
However, according to our research results, food safety and hygiene vendors with constant evaluation (Egan et al., 2007). That might be
knowledge of night market street food vendors is limited along with part of the reason that hygiene training did not show differences in
poor hygiene practices, thus reflecting on the food vended and knowledge and practices of street vendors, because training is
causing foodborne illness problem and possibly affecting Tainan’s rarely conducted at workplaces. Evaluation of training and auditing
tourism image. Some reasons for inadequate hygiene are limited or inspection of vended food and vendors by government author-
access to potable water, and lack of space for washing at the night ities should be included in national strategies for the prevention
markets. There are potable water supplies in the toilet areas in the and control of foodborne illnesses in this food industry.
five night markets at Tainan City, but rare soaps and disinfection According to the regulation of Food GHP Taiwan, obtaining of
solutions were provided. This results in vendors using little amount food-related licenses require food safety knowledge written test,
of water either for hand washing or utensil cleaning. Night markets which doesn’t seem to have effective results in implementing
usually operate in open space and it is hard to prevent the presence vendors’ hygiene knowledge and practices. Lacking of possible
164 Y.-M. Sun et al. / Food Control 23 (2012) 159e164

hygiene knowledge for Taiwan night market food vendors has put Chang, R. C. Y., Kivela, J., & Mak, A. H. N. (2010). Food preferences of Chinese tourists.
Annuals of Tourism Research, 37(4), 989e1011.
visitors seeking for street delicacies under the risk of foodborne
Cunha, J. P. (2008). Food poisoning. Retrieved November 9, 2010, from. www.
diseases. Government agencies should guide and assist street food emedicinehealth.com/food_poisoning/page3_em.htm.
vendors or even enforce laws or legal regulations to ensure food DGBAS(Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics of Taiwan). (2005).
safety. The following options are suggested as guidance for 2003 annual survey and analysis report on Taiwan vendors. Taipei, Taiwan:
Executive Yuan National Statistics. Retrieved November 9th, 2010, from. www.
government agencies. dgbas.gov.tw/public/Data/943015213971.doc.
DGBAS(Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of Taiwan). (2008).
 Set up regulations or laws for food safety and hygiene stan- 2008 Annual survey and analysis report on Taiwan vendors. Taipei, Taiwan:
Executive Yuan National Statistics. Retrieved November 9th, 2010, from. www.
dards of street food vendors to follow the GHP. dgbas.gov.tw/public/Data/95181540271.doc.
 Provide food safety education training courses periodically, Egan, M. B., Raats, M. M., Grubb, S. M., Eves, A., Lumbers, M. L., Dean, M. S., et al.
with training certificates for completion. (2007). A review of food safety and food hygiene training studies in the
commercial sector. Food Control, 18(10), 1180e1190.
 Subsidize and encourage street vendors to obtain foodservice- Ekanem, E. O. (1998). The street food trade in Africa: safety and socio-
related licenses which document proper food preparation environmental issues. Food Control, 9(4), 211e215.
skills. FDA Taiwan. (2009). 1981e2009 Foodborne illness reported in Taiwan. Retrieved April
14th, 2011, from. http://www.fda.gov.tw/content.aspx?site_content_sn¼323.
Food GHP. (2000). Food good hygienic practice (GHP). Retrieved April 15th, 2011,
Limited working space and lack of access to potable water had from. www.fda.gov.tw/files/people_laws/Food%20good%20hygienic%20practice
created risk for night market food safety as well as unsatisfying %20(GHP)-20000907.doc.
Gadaga, T. H., Samende, B. K., Musuna, C., & Chibanda, D. (2008). The microbio-
waste management situations. Thus it is suggested that night
logical quality of informally vended foods in Harare, Zimbabwe. Food Control,
market management should arrange and map out a specific area for 19(8), 829e832.
food vending only and enhance the infrastructure of the night Hanashiro, A., Morita, M., Mattẻ, G. R., Mattẻ, M. H., & Torres, E. A. F. S. (2005).
market with a sufficient potable water supply and unhindered Microbiological quality of selected street foods from a restricted area of São
Paulo city, Brazil. Food Control, 16(5), 439e444.
access along with a designated washing and cleaning area for Jevsnik, M., Hlebec, V., & Raspor, P. (2008). Food safety knowledge and practices
vendors, to avoid cross contamination of food. among food handlers in Slovenia. Food Control, 19, 1107e1118.
Our research results showed that vendors with food-related King, L. K., Awumbila, B., Canacoo, E. A., & Ofosu-Amaah, S. (2000). An assessment of
the safety of street foods in the Ga district, of Ghana; implications for the spread
certificates or licenses did reflect better scores in their personal of zoonoses. Acta Tropica, 76(1), 39e43.
hygiene knowledge and practices. Therefore, we make the Lucca, A., & Ferraz da Silva Torres, E. A. (2006). Street-food: the hygiene conditions
following four recommendations to night market food vendors: of hot-dogs sold in São Paulo, Brazil. Food Control, 17(4), 312e316.
Lues, J. F., Rasephei, M. R., Venter, P., & Theron, M. M. (2006). Assessing food safety
and associated food handling practices in street food vending. International
1. Obtain food-related certificates to increase knowledge of and Journal of Environmental Health Research, 16(5), 319e328.
techniques for food preparation as well as to improve the Muinde, O. K., & Kuri, E. (2005). Hygienic and sanitary practices of vendors of street
foods in Nairobi, Kenya. African Journal of Food Agriculture & Nutritional Devel-
confidence of consumers about vended food in night markets. opment, 5(1), 1e14.
2. Attend food-related hygiene seminars to better understand Omemu, A. M., & Aderoju, S. T. (2008). Food safety knowledge and practices of
potentially hazardous foods (PHF) and help prevent foodborne street food vendors in the city of Abeokuta, Nigeria. Food Control, 19(4),
396e402.
illness.
Rheinländer, T., Olsen, M., Bakang, J. A., Takyi, H., Konradsen, F., & Samuelsen, H.
3. Standardize operating procedures for vended foods in order to (2008). Keeping up appearances: perceptions of street food safety in urban
prevent insufficient heating or warming of prepared foods. Kumasi, Ghana. Journal of Urban Health, 85(6), 952e964.
4. Wear clean working clothes or an apron, hat, and gloves while Tainan City Tour Association. (2006). List of night markets in Tainan City. Retrieved
November 9, 2010, from. www.tnta.tw/?p¼news, detail,257&r¼bc.
working to ensure safety of the vended foods. Taiwan Tourism Bureau. (2003). 2002 annual survey report on R.O.C. inbound trav-
elers. Taipei, Taiwan: Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and
Communications.
References Toh, P.-S., & Birchenough, A. (2000). Food safety knowledge and attitudes: culture
and environment impact on hawkers in Malaysia: knowledge and attitudes are
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2010). OPRP e Handwashing key attributes of concern in hawker food handling practices and outbreaks of
guidelines. Atlanta, Georgia, USA: CDC. Retrieved November 9th, 2010, from. food poisoning and their prevention. Food Control, 11(6), 447e452.
www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/cruiselines/handwashing_guidelines.htm. World Health Organization (WHO). (1996). Essential safety requirement for street-
Chang, J., & Hsieh, A.-T. (2006). Leisure motives of eating out in night markets. vended foods. World Health Organization, Food Safety Unit, Division of Food
Journal of Business Research, 59(12), 1276e1278. and Nutrition.