Bacteriological Quality and Safety of Ready-to-Eat Street Vended Foods in Shambu Town, Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/afnr.v4i2.2154Keywords:
Antimicrobial resistance, Food handling practices, Food safety, Street-vended foodsAbstract
Street-vended foods provide affordable nutrition and economic opportunities but may pose significant public health risks when contaminated. This study assessed the food handling procedures, safety, and bacteriological quality of ready-to-eat street foods in Shambu Town, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional investigation was carried out involving N = 91 vendors and 45 food samples that are ready-to-eat (five food types gathered from three vending sites). Aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), aerobic spore-forming bacteria (ASFB), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and Staphylococcus spp. were enumerated using standard microbiological procedures. Bacterial isolates were identified biochemically, and the disk diffusion method was used to assess antimicrobial susceptibility. Most vendors were young (70.33% aged 21–30 years), female (63.73%), and had only primary education (50.55%). Critical food safety violations included food preparation at home without hygiene training (100%), handling food with bare hands (68.13%), failure to wear aprons (95.6%), and vending in dusty environments (65.93%). Mean AMB counts were highest in bread (5.45–5.46 log CFUg-1), while Staphylococcus spp. counts peaked in potato samples (6.40 log CFUg-1). Of the 45 bacterial isolates, Staphylococcus spp. (46.67%) predominated, followed by E. coli (24.44%), Bacillus spp. (15.56%), and Salmonella spp. (13.33%). High antimicrobial resistance was observed, particularly among Staphylococcus and Salmonella isolates, whereas all isolates remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The findings indicate that street-vended foods in Shambu Town are microbiologically unsafe and contaminated with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Strengthening vendor training, hygienic food handling, sanitation infrastructure, and antimicrobial resistance surveillance is recommended.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Journal of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Wallaga University,
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Accepted 2026-08-05
Published 2026-08-31
