A STUDY OF CONSUMERS’ FEEDBACK ON

STREET FOODS OF KOLKATA

NAME – SANGITA JOARDAR

BATCH – B.H.M.C.T, 4TH YEAR (2018-2022)

SEMESTER – 8TH

UNIVERSITY ROLL – 18502218018

REGISTRATION NO – 181851110040

SUBJECT – RESEARCH PROJECT

PAPER CODE – HM898

 CONTENTS

Sl No. Particulars

1. Acknowledgement

2. Declaration

3. Introduction

4. Chapters

5. Primary data

6. Conclusion

7. Recommendation

8. Bibliography
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank my research project professor Mr. Rajib Kumar for his continuous support,
encouragement and interest in helping me to complete this project. I truly grateful to him for giving
me an opportunity to showcase my view on this topic. For completing this project I took help from
on field and online sources.
 DECLARATION
I, Sangita Joardar, student of Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management, hereby declare that the
project entitled “ A STUDY OF CONSUMERS' FEEDBACK ON STREET FOODS OF
KOLKATA ” submitted by me is true and original to the best of my knowledge.
 INTRODUCTION
‘Street foods’ are define as the ready to eat foods or beverages prepare and sold by vendors in
street or other public places without any structured shop and the food is ready for immediate
consumption. The popularity of street food increases rapidly due to industrial development and
increase in urban population.

Street foods are accepted by a vast number of city-dwellers as it is usually inexpensive, convenient
and often nutritious too. It contribute significantly to the diet of people belongs to low and middle
income group. In recent times the foremost consumption of street food has became a habit to the
city people. It has indicated that more consumers are stayed a long time out side their home and
that is why they eat more meals. This prevalent consumption needs the importance of food safety.

The affordability and easy accessibility of street food make it highly popular across all age groups
of city people. Despite having many benefits street vended foods often have some risk to health of
consumers if not prepare or served hygienically. Consumers are sometimes unaware about food
safety and food-borne diseases. Some consumers are sensitive about the need of food and
sometimes they have a role decision making process.

Although the FAO and WHO applied some rules to ensure the safety of street foods. Many studies
has shown that there is no legal arrangement for food safety in many cities all over the world. Like
many countries of the world there is a rapid increase in purchasing and consumption of street food
in India as well as Kolkata is become a trends now-a-days. The hygiene and sanitation always been
a matter of concern in preparation and serving of street foods.

STREET FOOD VENDORS

Street food vendors are visually Omnipresent as they line streets in various parts of the Cities,
cluster about public markets, or move along the Streets carrying their goods. These enterprises
form a part of the informal sector' often consisting of a single individual engaging in petty trade,
such as selling peanuts, selling a wide range of prepared foods or perhaps, entire meals. With
increasing urbanization, much interest has been generated in this activity which requires little skill
and involves low capital input. Therefore, rural migrants or even the poor urban dwellers may take
up street food vending as an income-generating activity.

THE STREET FOODS

The street foods are popular because it can serve almost 1000 calories of food in exchange of
around Rs. 10-15 only. The hotels and restaurants have no capacity to feed such a vast population
in all practical sense and also in so cheaper price. From the consumers interview I found that it is
cheapest for traditional Indian dishes such as chapatti or rice with different kinds of vegetables.
Meat is more expensive.

There are many ethnic groups in Kolkata, and as a result the street foods represent a mixed cuisine.
A survey found that they serve more than 300 different types of food on the footpath. This includes
all kinds of food of different Indian states.

THE CONSUMERS

The urban populations are highly dependent on street foods. The consumers range from upper class
business men to homeless beggars, the reasonably priced street foods are high importance for the
people in the low-income end.

Urbanization and longer distances from homes to work places makes it impossible to many
workers to eat at home. Therefore, the numbers of workers buy street foods as their daily meals.
The proximity and easy accessibility to a good section of dishes also added to the convenience of
buying street goods instead of cooking at home.

A study shown that consumers prefer foods that are boiled or fried just before serving. They
consider those foods most sanitary. Consumers considered the quality of foods, neatness, hygienic
situation and set-up of the stalls inadequate.

FOOD CONTAMINATIONS
The study examined various hazards to food safety and the environment. The most significant
findings are described below.

In Kolkata, a regulation pertaining to artificial colours lists the approved colours, the foods that
can contain them and the amount that can be used. However, vendors were not aware of these
regulations. For instance, metanil yellow had a long history of use as a substitute for saffron. Many users
of metanil yellow did not know that it was not permitted. Samples that were suspected of contravention
were collected for analysis, and unauthorized use of food additives was detected in 30 of the 50 samples,
especially in such foods as sherbets (cold sweetened milk-based desserts), jalabi (extruded cereal batter
fried and dipped in sugar syrup) and other sweets such as laddu, kamalabhog and pantua, cut fruits and
curry juices.

In addition to containing very bright non-permitted colours, various food samples, especially
certain sherbets, also contained saccharin. Saccharin is generally not permitted in Indian foods
except in a small amount of 100 ppm which can be added only to carbonated water. The foods
containing saccharin were mostly bought by middle class people.

There was no contamination from heavy metals in the samples analyzed. Aluminum and ironware
were used for cooking and heating foods, which were then served on plastic and ceramic plates.
Tumblers of glass, steel and brass were used for drinking-water and tea. Cheap ceramic and
earthenware cups and bowls were also used for tea. The ceramic teacups were glazed in home
furnaces at a lower firing temperature than is used in commercial operations. Because of concern
regarding heavy metals, the cups had been evaluated earlier and were found to be safe.
Examination of water samples found no arsenic.

The study found that the street foods were prone to microbiological contamination. As expected,
the standard plate count (SPC) of samples of lassi (sweetened and sometimes flavoured
buttermilk), idli (fermented rice and black gram flour dumpling) and dahi vara (gram flour balls
fried and dipped in yoghurt) which are made by fermentation was very high in comparison with
samples of other products tested. Dosa (fermented rice and black gram flour pancake), although a
fermented product, had a much lower SPC than lassi or idli, presumably because of heat treatment
(frying) during its preparation. Although the pH of dosa and lassi is low and not favorable for the
growth of Salmonella spp. Or Shigella spp., these bacteria were still detected. The contamination
probably occurred after processing and is of great concern. One of the probable sources of
Salmonella sp. May be the ice used in the preparation of lassi.

A few unfermented dishes, for instance, vegetable curry, ghugni (pea or Bengal gram boiled,
sometimes with potato or meat, and then flavoured) and alu kabli (boiled potato with a highly
seasoned sour preparation) also had high SPCs, and some contained pathogenic organisms. The
hazards in these samples presumably arose because of poor personal hygiene, prolonged holding,
repeated handling and the use of substandard water and implements at different stages, which had
been observed in the diagnosis of street food practices.

The water used for drinking, cooking, washing of fruits and vegetables, dishwashing, hand
washing, etc. was found to be contaminated in 47 percent of samples analyzed. It should be noted
that the water was safe coming from the source but became contaminated through poor handling
practices.

GOVERNMENT KOLKATA

In Kolkata, an infrastructure exists to license, inspect and regulate the food service industry.
However, the street food sector is not a legal entity in Calcutta, and food control activities are
limited to the occasional complaint. With consumers' imperatives as their guides, vendors try to
satisfy their clients' demands regardless of the food inspection rules.

Three regulations can be used in the control of street foods. The first is the Indian Penal Code
regulating public nuisance, negligent or malignant acts leading to dangers to life, fouling of water
and adulteration of food and beverages. This regulation is executed by the enforcement branch of
the police, if necessary, with the help of the forensic laboratory. The second is the Calcutta
Municipal Act regulating urban environmental and sanitary conditions, the sale of food and drink
and the authorization for operating under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. The municipal
authorities deal with these matters with the General Calcutta Police assisting and supporting the
municipal council. The third regulation is the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and Rules,
which is a very comprehensive set of regulations providing details of procedures for food
inspectors and for food analysis by a public agent. It is the responsibility of the food or health
authority designated under the act. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation Health Officer is the
designated local health authority for Kolkata.

The study revealed that licensing the street food vendors would appear to be a prerequisite for
controlling street foods, that is taking samples, analyzing the food, reporting and taking action as
necessary. However, it is felt that even without licensing, food inspection can be carried out if the
vendors are and remain traceable.

Recognition of the need to control street foods originates with the municipal authorities concerned
with consumer health and the impact of street foods on the city environment, including traffic
nuisances for both vehicles and pedestrians, illegal trash and waste water disposal and overloading
of municipal services which already face difficulties.

Vendors were unaware of food regulations and had no training in food-related matters. Most were
very vocal about their desire that the sector be recognized and licensed even if this should
necessitate compliance with specific regulations, guidelines, inspection and food sampling. Some
vendors complained of harassment from some officials in different quarters of the city. They were
reticent to discuss the payment of “protection” money which may represent an appreciable portion
of their income. The majority of vendors would welcome licensing, although some feared that it
would provoke more harassment.

Many vendors have joined organizations so that they will have a unified voice and political clout
for meeting their needs. Most street food vendors have aligned with CITU. The West Bengal
Hawkers' Union of the Forward Block is another union for hawkers in general. The vendors and
unions seek a formal structure as a means of protecting their business. A structure could control
the mushrooming growth in the number of street food vendors, the location of stalls and vendors
and the type of infrastructure and could lead to an overall improvement of food quality.
 CHAPTERS
Street food of Kolkata is very famous for the unique taste and pricing. During research it has been
found that the minimum pricing is start from 3 rupees. Many olden food stalls that were running
from British era still serving the same varieties of foods but with the time the vendors have
introduced new varieties of food. Some of the vendors have also introduced their signature dishes.

CHAPTER 1 – ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND

Terreti Bazar, Dacres Lane, and Esplanade, these places are the food hub in Kolkata. Everyday
people go over there and intake foods as per their choice. Different varieties of street foods are
available over there. One can find South Indian, north Indian cuisine to spicy Chinese food.

TERRETI BAZAR

Terreti Bazar, Kolkata’s own mini Chinatown, is a neighborhood near Lalbazar in Central Kolkata.
The Bazar is named after Edward Tiretta, an Italian immigrant from Venice, who was a land
surveyor and owner in the area during late 18th-century. As its name suggests, this place not only
serves some good Chinese food, but also safeguards the heritage of local Chinese immigrant
community. Having settled in Kolkata as early as the 1780s, the Chinese-Indian population has
historically played a major role in defining the city’s cuisine. And proof to the same is the Chinese-
Indian breakfast they serve. The most popular item served in this breakfast market is steamed
momo (chicken, pork, seafood and vegetables); the steamed one is served with clear soup and the
fried one is served with sauce. Other than the famous momos, this breakfast lane also has delicious
handmade sausages, stuffed buns, pork rolls, wantons etc. This market opens early in the morning
and gets closed by 8-8:30 am. The market starts a bit late on Sundays. Here most of the food stalls
are settled beside roads. There is no proper outlets. The food sellers bring their chair and the other
stuff and sit for few hours.

Momo (Steamed/Fried)

Momos and dumplings need no introduction. It is available with pork, chicken or fish stuffing.
Both the steamed and crispy fried momos taste best with the soup and sauce they served alongside.

Wonton

Wontons are somewhat same as fried momos, but differ in shape and size. It is served only with
sauce.

Pork Sausages

These sausages are fresh and tasty and one can actually get the taste of pork fat in it. Even though
it is fatty, these sausages are must haves in Terreti bazar.

Pau

It is a bun, stuffed with pork or fish. Although the bun taste a little bland, but the filling inside the
buns is surely surprising.

Noodle Soup

As the name suggests, it is a soupy noodle with lots of green veggies and veg/chicken
stock.

Pork Rolls/Pork Chops

Sometime the simplest of the recipes have the best taste and that goes perfectly for pork
rolls and pork chops. This deep fried crispy dish is the ultimate delight for a pork lover. It
is also available in fish variety.

Khwai choi pan

These are kind of pancakes with vegetable fillings.

Zung (Sweet Rice/Meat)

Sweet rice or meat zung are basically cooked in steam with sticky rice cover in bamboo
leaves

DACRES LANE

Dacres Lane a narrow alley named after James Milner Dacres, the Collector of Calcutta in 1773,
it is also known as ‘Tiffin Lane’ due to the number of small eateries that cater to hundreds of office
goers from mid-morning to late evening. The most famous of these is ‘Chitto Da’s Dokan’, a hole
in the wall establishment that serves oily, but tasty, meat/ fish preparations and piping hot creamy
chai.

Chitta Da’s Stall, Dacres lane

Since the 1940s, Chitta Da’s tea stall has preserved nostalgia in their breakfast and snacks. This
legendary shop was once only confined to tea and toast but now, they have become the favorite of
the entire city with their Chicken or Mutton Stew with Toast, Khichuri with labra, pore bhaja,
chutney-papad and payesh.

Fish fry

Crisp outer cover, flaky juicy fish in the middle. Good thickness of fish. A masala layer between
the outer crumb layer and the fish within.

Fish roll

It has a huge chunk of mashed fish and masala in the center. It was then covered by a layer of fish
and then finally the bread crumb layer on the outside.

Chicken Pakora

Chicken pakora was unique and nice. It was batter fried chicken. Crispy on the outside, besan and
small chicken pieces inside.

Chicken Stew
It is most famous dish over there. It is greenish in colour because of the usage of papaya. It also
has carrot in it.

Mutton Stew

It is same as chicken stew. The only difference is they use mutton instead of chicken. This dish is
very popular over there. Everyday thousands people go there to taste this delicacy.

Tea Joints, Dacres lane

A small street tea joint whose liquor is a hot concoction of Assam and Darjeeling Tea! These
varieties, which generally costs you more than Rs 200 a cup, this unnoticeable tea joint at the
entrance of Dacres Lane serves only in Rs 10! You can add milk, sugar and other ingredients as
per your convenience. Difference types teas are popular among Bengali such as –

Black tea

It’s a normal tea which is prepared with water and tea leaves along with sugar.

Lemon tea

In the hot summer people prefer lemon teas. Many people consider it as a refreshing drink.
Although it is same as black tea but the only difference is they put lemon in it.

Milk tea

It is very famous not only dacres lane but all over in Kolkata. People love this drink no matter
where they are, what is the weather. Many people consider it as a stomach filter drink.

Masala tea

Nowadays, the new trending is masala tea which is quite popular among youngster. As they want
to try something different from normal tea so they often choose masala tea. The name masala tea
sounds fascinating. It is prepared with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves at some places.

Malai tea
Malai tea is very similar to normal milk tea But only difference is Malai tea has a cover of milk
cream over it.

Chocolate tea

Nowadays, Chocolate tea is a new trending among young generations. The tea makers add cocoa
powder and chocolate syrup in it.

Suruchee Restaurant, Dacres lane

The cousin of Chitto Da’s outlet, Suruchee Restaurant is a proper dine out place on Dacres Lane.
This place is well-known for Chicken Bharta, Chili Chicken, Fish Fry, Fish Cutlet, Mutton Biryani,
Chicken Butter Masala and much more. This place always remains crowded during lunch hours
and snack timings.

The Chow mein Joints, Dacres lane

Hakka chow mein with gravy chili chicken- perhaps, the taste of his joint attracts the entire BBD
Bagh and Esplanade to this place. The Chinese food stalls are places which are the gems of Dacres
Lane. From noodles combo to momos and other Chinese delicacies, their food is simply
outstanding. Do take a binge at their pulao with chicken kosha combination which is perfect for
lunchtime.

ESPLANADE

Esplanade is a neighborhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West
Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated
alongside a waterbody. However, the Ganga river (Ganges), also known as Hooghly river, flows
nearby.

The Esplanade was the name given to the northern portion of jungle, which later formed the
Maidan. In olden days, it stretched from Dhurmotollah (now Lenin Sarani) to Chandpal Ghat on
the Hooghly river. In the days of Warren Hastings, it formed a favorite promenade for ‘elegant
walking parties’.

The Esplanade is also known for their unique delicacies. There are many outlets situated over
Esplanade Which serves great food along with beverages.

Balaram Mullick and Radharam Mullick Sweets, Esplanade

Balaram Mullick and Radharam Mullick are heritage sweet makers in Kolkata. They bring the
perfect art of making Bengali sweets as well as contemporary desserts since 1885. Everyday
thousands people visit this place to taste delicious sweets. From Rosogulla to jalbhara sandesh all
are available. The signature item is Baked Rosogulla.

Arsalan Restaurant and caters, Esplanade

Arsalan is a quite expensive place for people. But people still go there because their unique style
biryani and other delicacies. It serves Biryani, kebabs, naans, Chaap, etc. Here the price of a glass
of water is 35 rupees. If one want to do food tour the he/she must check out this place.

Shri Krishna Hot chips, Esplanade

This place is quit famous for their variety of chips. It is situated near park street. They serves
different chips such as potato, banana, tapioca, etc.

Green Benches, Esplanade

Green Benches are famous for their beverages. They have a variety of drinks, and snacks that
people don’t want to miss out on. After a heavy meal people need to have some beverage. They
have hot chocolate, cold coffee, and hot tea with some snacks. Their filter coffee and cheese are
the best.
CHAPTER 2 – KEY FACTORS

The world is coming closer so as the food culture. The research as shown that it is quite easy to
find street foods that are not originated in Kolkata. Momos which is a Tibetan dish is famous all
over in Kolkata, people are crazy for this particular items.

Vendors have changed a lot so as the consumers, nowadays people love to taste something different
from the same. It has been found that consumers love to explore new dishes and that is not common
with the authentic. Presently, consumers are more open to taste anything that is different,
experimental and unique.

1. The versatility and variety of street foods: Kolkata is a metropolitan city which offers many
delicacies. It is a heaven for foodies. From Dacres lane to Terreti bazar uncountable foods
are available. From tele bhaja to Kolkata style biryani, Dosa to Pav bhaji all are available.
With the time foods are modifying, variations are introducing. Nowadays, if one wants to
eat dosa then it is choosable because varieties and variations are introduced Such as egg
dosa, plain dosa, masala dosa, neer dosa, chees dosa, etc.
From research it has been found that Consumers are getting adaptable. They are accepting
different street food combinations. Especially young consumers are very excited about new
variations. They think it is very interesting to try out experimental dishes. Even though
there no hesitation to spent money on it.
People are making videos and uploading it on different platforms. So, food vlogging is a
quite common things nowadays. Food vloggers are also consumers because it has a part of
exploring or tasting food and giving information about it mostly called feedbacks. So the
food vloggers go different places and explore foods over there and give feedbacks to their
audience. Food vloggers mostly target street food because it is pocket friend and huge
varieties are available.
Street foods are like emotions to the consumers of Kolkata. Because it is connecting with
them running in and through. Everyday people start the day with a cup of tea from local or
any other tea joints with a newspaper, it is like a habit. Over 90% people are so habituated
with this custom that they can’t even think to leave this habit. Most of Bengali consider
this drink as a stomach filter. They think it is good for their digestive system.
Most of the workers eat outside mostly street foods for breakfast as well as lunch. Because
most of them are from countryside. So they basically leave early morning from home that
is why they don’t carry tiffin. For that many street foods are available that is suitable for
breakfast because such as pooris, dosa, roti, paratha, bread toast, chole bhature, etc. Most
of the breakfast meals start with the price of 10 rupees that is why it is affordable for low-
income people.
For lunch also workers eat outside. Instead of homemade food they prefer street foods for
their convenience. They consume street food not for the taste but for the need of survival.
That is why many stalls are settled around industrial area which mainly sell homely type
food such as plain rice, dals, roti, fish, vegetables, etc. with minimum price. The price start
from 30 rupees for veg meals.
In the evening time Kolkata is like a food hub for consumers. Because it is the time when
varieties and variations are available. Different types people roam around and they take
snacks. It is like small snack tour. People including workers, students, and the senior
citizens no matter what they are where they go outside to explore street foods. As their age
groups and positions are different so their preferences are also different from each other.
From the research it has been shown that mostly senior citizens are into fried items. They
love to eat tele bhaja such as aloo chop, pakora, piyazi, etc. with a cup of tea in the evening.
But the workers preferences are different as it is possible that they can be from different
age groups such as from young to middle age. So the choices can be differed from each
other. Some of them love to eat light food such as biscuits, cakes, with tea or coffee. And
some of the love to eat oily food like senior citizens. Actually it depends upon their mood.
Students or young people are the more versatile group because individually their
preferences are very different from each other. Some of them are health conscious that is
why always find healthy food and avoid oily food. So milk shake, badam shakes and food
like sandwiches, fruits chaat are always top in their least.
Some of them are extremely into fried items so they often consume fried items like, chops,
cutlets, Mughlai, pakora, etc. Some of them are extremely explorers so they love to try out
different foods from other like pizza pani puri, cheese dosa, cheese corn momo, hakka
noodles, etc.
2. The frequency of street foods consumption: Like all other city of India, street foods are
widely used in Kolkata. Without any formal establishment street food Mainly comprises
unorganized food vending where cooked food may be served. Street foods are easily
available and affordable to consumers, so it is highly popular to all age group specially in
urban area.
Most of people in Kolkata take street foods. But there is some differentiation between street
foods that is why most of people don’t really considered few categories of foods as street
foods. According to many, those food that are regularly prepared at home are not
categorized as street foods whether it is from street side. They think only unhealthy foods
are categorized as streets food. Because of that it is quite difficult to find out the exact
frequency of street foods consumption.
It is impossible to separate street food from daily life. Around 27.7% consumers take street
food daily basis, 35.4% choose women vendor for neat and clean Stall. Among all street
food stable foods (like rice, roti) are most popular. 56.9% people take street food for easy
availability.

3. The consumers’ monthly basis expenditure on street foods: Street foods are always
enjoyable to eat. It fulfills the hungry stomach for adequate amount of time. But most of
the time, street foods are prepared for the purpose of stimulating taste buds, not for stomach
fulfillment. Street foods provide ultimate satisfaction while consuming. Most of the
consumers are very addicted in it that sometimes they forget about money and consume
street foods on daily basis. It became their habit to consume street at least once per day. It
is impossible to track 100% accurate important about monthly expenditure on street foods.
Because people are very different from each other so as their needs, carvings, taste buds,
and income status. They spend money as per their needs and wish.
From the research it has been found that most of the consumers belong from different
classes of society and their designations are different from each other such as self
employed, government employee, student and labour, etc. As their sources of income is
different so the income varies from Rs 250 to Rs 10 000 or more.
Consumers spent Rs 40 to Rs 400 per month on street foods, according to their income and
tastes. In Dacres lane, 1 to 2 percent of the consumers spent between Rs 1000 and Rs 1500
 per month on street foods because these foods provided their total daily diet. On average,
regular consumers spent Rs 250 on street foods per month.

4. The hygiene and sanitary aspects: From the consumers point of view the hygienic quality
and food safety is very crucial dimension of street food quality since foods have been
recognized to be of low hygienic standards and a potential source of diseases.
From the research observation it has been shown that minimal hygienic and sanitary
precautions are followed. As most of the vendors belong to low income or poor family. So
maximum of them are illiterate, they don’t even aware of basic hygienic and sanitary
measures.
During observations it has been noticed that some of vendors don’t really wash their hands
before food handling as per the sanitary guidelines. During food handling, some of them
do unhygienic practices such as touching hair, nose, ear, and some of the private body parts.
There some foods such as panipuri, aloo kabli, and different chaats, etc. are highly
sensitive. But, most of vendors don’t wear gloves while preparing this dishes. It is very to
easy to consume contaminated foods because these are foods which are full of bacteria,
microorganisms, and including the taste human perspiration and dirty nails.
Apart from this, the conditions under which some street vendors operate are not suitable
for the preparation and selling of food. The food is prepared either at home or at stalls,
which are located on the street side and are made up of wood, polythene bags, tin, etc. The
place of preparation is not always clean, well lit and not far from source of contamination.
Preparation surfaces used by some vendors have remains of foods prepared earlier that can
promote cross contamination. Most of these foods are not covered and are exposed to flies
and dust, which may harbor foodborne pathogens. In 70–90% of the cases, presence of
animals, insects and liquid wastes in food preparation areas have been reported. The two
major sources from where the contaminants can enter the preparation area are: Improper
food handling and waste disposal.
Apart from this the food contamination is an other concern, The study examined various
hazards to food safety and the environment. The most significant findings are described below:
In India, a regulation pertaining to artificial colours lists the approved colours, the foods that can
contain them and the amount that can be used (not to exceed 200 ppm). However, vendors were
 not aware of these regulations. For instance, metanil yellow (a textile colour) had a long history of
use as a substitute for saffron. Many users of metanil yellow did not know that it was not permitted.
Samples that were suspected of contravention were collected for analysis, and unauthorized use of
food additives was detected in 30 of the 50 samples, especially in such foods as sherbets (cold
sweetened milk-based desserts), jalabi (extruded cereal batter fried and dipped in sugar syrup) and
other sweets such as laddu, kamalabhog and pantua, cut fruits and curry juices.
In addition to containing very bright non-permitted colours, various food samples, especially
certain sherbets, also contained saccharin. Saccharin is generally not permitted in Indian foods
except in a small amount of 100 ppm which can be added only to carbonated water. The foods
containing saccharin were mostly bought by poor people.
There was no contamination from heavy metals in the samples analysed. Aluminum and ironware
were used for cooking and heating foods, which were then served on plastic and ceramic plates.
Tumblers of glass, steel and brass were used for drinking-water and tea. Cheap ceramic and
earthenware cups and bowls were also used for tea. The ceramic teacups were glazed in home
furnaces at a lower firing temperature than is used in commercial operations. Because of concern
regarding heavy metals, the cups had been evaluated earlier and were found to be safe. Examination
of water samples found no arsenic.
The study found that the street foods were prone to microbiological contamination. As expected,
the standard plate count (SPC) of samples of lassi (sweetened and sometimes flavoured
buttermilk), idli (fermented rice and black gram flour dumpling) and dahi vara (gram flour balls
fried and dipped in yoghurt) which are made by fermentation was very high in comparison with
samples of other products tested. Dosa (fermented rice and black gram flour pancake), although a
fermented product, had a much lower SPC than lassi or idli, presumably because of heat treatment
(frying) during its preparation. Although the pH of dosa and lassi is low and not favourable for the
growth of Salmonella spp. or Shigella spp., these bacteria were still detected. The contamination
probably occurred after processing and is of great concern. One of the probable sources
of Salmonella sp. may be the ice used in the preparation of lassi.

5. The impact of street foods on consumers’ health: Street foods are perceived to be a major
public health risk due to lack of basic infrastructure and services, difficulty in controlling
the large numbers of street food vending operations because of their diversity, mobility and
temporary nature. A general lack of factual knowledge about the epidemiological
significance of many street vended foods, poor knowledge of street vendors in basic food
 safety measures and inadequate public awareness of hazards posed by certain foods has
severely hampered the deployment of a precise scientific approach to this very serious issue
of public health and safety.
The epidemiological studies to suggest that street foods contribute to a significant number
of food poisonings are inadequate, due to paucity of data deficiencies in knowledge about
important parameters in the food chain and host pathogen interactions; however, there have
been several documented cases of food poisoning outbreaks due to street foods. Street
foods were responsible for 691 food poisoning outbreaks and 49 deaths from 1983 to 1992
in Shangdong Province in China.

FOOD POISONING

When people get sick from food contaminated with bacteria or other pathogens, such as raw meat,
it is referred to as “food poisoning” or “foodborne illness.” Foodborne bacterial pathogens
commonly detected in street vended foods are Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens,
Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. People who patronize street food, have been reported
to suffer from food borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever and food poisoning.

Common reasons of food poisoning:

• Unwashed hands handling food.

• Unwashed raw fruit or veggies, or any raw produce with bacteria.
• Undercooked or raw meat.
• Room temperature food that should be refrigerated.
• Cross-contamination of food bacteria.
• Incorrectly prepared or stored deli meats, hot dogs, or ground beef.
• Unpasteurized milk.
• Spoiled dairy products or soft cheeses.
• Cutting boards, bowls, or knives that are unwashed or cross-contaminated with bacteria.

Escherichia coli
The full name of the particular type of E. coli that causes illness is Escherichia coli 0157:H7. Most
strains of e. coli are harmless and found throughout nature, while the strain that causes illness in
humans is found in the intestines of healthy livestock (such as cattle, goats, and sheep). E. coli
usually is spread during the slaughtering process, but also can get into raw milk at dairies and can
even contaminate nearby vegetable or fruit crops. Under-cooked meat and contaminated raw
vegetables are the main sources of E. coli poisoning, along with person-to-person contact in
households and childcare centers. Most people infected with E.coli recover, but for some patients,
particularly infants and the elderly, an E.coli infection can be deadly.

Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, kidney failure (in serious cases)

Listeria/Listeriosis

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria
monocytogenes. Listeriosis is primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with
weakened immune systems.

Listeriosis symptoms often look like other kinds of illnesses. It usually starts with stomach cramps
and diarrhea, followed by fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and
convulsions. Pregnant women may show mild flu-like symptoms, but it can lead to miscarriages,
still births, or a severe infection in the newborn.

People get listeriosis by eating food contaminated with Listeria. Listeria lives in the soil, which
can cling to fruits and vegetables. Animals can eat the vegetables and carry Listeria without
appearing ill, which means that products from those animals also contain listeria. Babies can be
born with listeriosis if their mothers eat contaminated food during pregnancy. Although healthy
persons may consume contaminated foods without becoming ill, those at increased risk for
infection can get listeriosis after eating food contaminated with even a few bacteria.

Cooking and pasteurizing food kills listeria. However, ready to eat foods such as deli meats and
hot dogs may contain listeria if they were packaged improperly.

Symptoms: fever, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, loss of balance, convulsions.

Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the digestive tracts of many animals, including humans, cows,
and birds. People who eat food contaminated by Salmonella can contract a disease called
salmonellosis, which causes diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever within a week. Most cases of
salmonellosis last less than a week and people recover after a few months with no long term
consequences. However, in severe cases, patients can become dehydrated, develop pain in their
eyes and joints, or develop a form of typhoid. These patients may need to be hospitalized and can
experience pain long after the initial infection has passed.

Since Salmonella lives in animals’ digestive tracts, meat and eggs from infected animals may
contain salmonella. Healthy looking pets, especially birds and reptiles, may also have salmonella,
which can be transferred to human hands after handling.

Salmonella can also seep into the water that has come in contact with animal feces. Fruits and
vegetables may become contaminated with salmonella if that water was used to irrigate crops.

Symptoms: diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps.

Norovirus

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause the “stomach flu,” or gastroenteritis. Someone
infected with a norovirus may show symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach
cramps, fever, chills, headaches, and fatigue.

Norovirus illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. Symptoms
usually begin about 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, but can appear as early as 12 hours
after exposure. Symptoms usually last for about 1 or 2 days, with vomiting many times a day. In
general, children experience more vomiting than adults. Norovirus infections usually have no long
term consequence, but patients and their caretakers must drink enough fluid to prevent
dehydration.

Viruses are different from bacteria and parasites, some of which can cause illnesses similar to
norovirus infection. Like all viral infections, noroviruses are not affected by treatment with
antibiotics, and cannot grow outside of a person’s body.

Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. People can become infected in
various ways, including:
 • Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus.
• Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus, and then placing their hand in
their mouth.
• Having direct contact with another person who is infected and showing symptoms.

People working in daycare centers or nursing homes should pay special attention to children and
residents who have norovirus illness. Norovirus is very contagious and can spread rapidly
throughout such environments.

Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping.

Bacillus

Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming bacilli. It is widely distributed in

nature because of the resistance of its spores to various stresses and their long-term survival under
unfavorable conditions. B. cereus is found in a wide variety of foods, including dairy and meat
products, vegetables, spices, cereals, and infant foods.

Although various Bacillus species have been isolated from food products, B. cereus is the most
common one associated with food poisoning. B. cereus strains are capable of producing one of
two enterotoxins, a diarrheal toxin or an emetic toxin, and have been implicated in numerous
foodborne illness outbreaks. Widespread occurrence of the organism, its heat-resistant spores, and
the ability of the vegetative cells to grow at refrigeration temperatures render toxigenic B. cereus
strains of particular concern in foods. Endospores of Bacillus survive the cooking process, but
significant numbers are found only where temperature has not been adequately controlled after
cooking.

Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, loss of appetite, fever, bloody diarrhea
in the later stages of the disease, sore throat and difficulty swallowing, swollen neck.

Campylobacter

Campylobacter is well recognized as the leading cause of bacterial foodborne diarrheal disease
worldwide. Symptoms can range from mild to serious infections of the children and the elderly
and permanent neurological symptoms. The organism is a cytochrome oxidase positive,
microaerophilic, curved Gram-negative rod exhibiting corkscrew motility and is carried in the
intestine of many wild and domestic animals, particularly avian species including poultry.
Intestinal colonization results in healthy animals as carriers.

Symptoms: diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.

Clostridium

Foodborne botulism is a serious, potentially fatal disease. However, it is relatively rare. It is an

intoxication usually caused by ingestion of potent neurotoxins, the botulinum toxins, formed in
contaminated foods. Person to person transmission of botulism does not occur.

Spores produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum are heat-resistant and exist widely in the
environment, and in the absence of oxygen they germinate, grow and then excrete toxins. There
are 7 distinct forms of botulinum toxin, types A–G. Four of these (types A, B, E and rarely F)
cause human botulism. Types C, D and E cause illness in other mammals, birds and fish.

Botulinum toxins are ingested through improperly processed food in which the bacteria or the
spores survive, then grow and produce the toxins. Though mainly a foodborne intoxication, human
botulism can also be caused by intestinal infection with C. botulinum in infants, wound infections,
and by inhalation (WHO, 2018).

Symptoms: Fatigue, weakness and vertigo, blurred vision, dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing
and speaking, Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal swelling.

Staphylococcus

Staphylococcal food-borne disease (SFD) is one of the most common food-borne diseases
worldwide resulting from the contamination of food by preformed S. aureus enterotoxins. It is one
of the most common causes of reported food-borne diseases in the United States. Although several
Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) have been identified, SEA, a highly heat-stable SE, is the most
common cause of SFD worldwide. Outbreak investigations have found that improper food
handling practices in the retail industry account for the majority of SFD outbreaks. However,
several studies have documented prevalence of S. aureus in many food products including raw
retail meat indicating that consumers are at potential risk of S. aureus colonization and subsequent
infection. Presence of pathogens in food products imposes potential hazard for consumers and
causes grave economic loss and loss in human productivity via food-borne disease.
Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea.

Parasites

There is a wide variety of food products that may be contaminated with one or more parasites and
consequently enabling transmission to human beings. The prevalence of specific parasites in food
supplies varies between countries and regions. Sources of food-borne products contaminated with
parasites are pigs, cattle, fish, crabs, crayfish, snails, frogs, snakes and aquatic plants. One of the
major factors influencing the prevalence of parasitic infections in the population is the habit, and
traditional popularity of eating raw or inadequately cooked foods. The parasites that may be
acquired by eating these foods are nematodes, trematodes, cestodes and protozoa. It can cause
weaken immune system, HIV or AIDS, infection among children, etc.

Symptoms: Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, gas or bloating, dysentery (loose stools
containing blood and mucus), rash or itching around the rectum or vulva, stomach pain or
tenderness, feeling tired, weight loss, passing a worm in your stool.

Seafood toxins

Seafood poisoning occurs after eating reef fish contaminated with toxins such as ciguatoxin or
maitotoxin. These potent toxins originate from Gambierdiscus toxicus, a small marine organism
(dinoflagellate) that grows on and around coral reefs. Dinoflagellates are ingested by herbivorous
fish. The toxins produced by G. toxicus are then modified and concentrated as they pass up the
marine food chain to carnivorous fish and finally to humans. Ciguatoxins are concentrated in fish
liver, intestines, roe, and heads.

Ciguatera poisoning may cause gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurologic, and neuropsychiatric

illness. The first symptoms usually develop within 3–6 hours after eating contaminated fish but
may be delayed for up to 30 hours.

Symptoms: Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, bradycardia, heart block,

hypotension, paresthesias, weakness, pain in the teeth or a sensation that the teeth are loose,
burning or metallic taste in the mouth, generalized itching, sweating, and blurred vision, fatigue,
general malaise, insomnia.
 6. The improvements needed on street foods from consumers’ aspects: During research
observations it has been found that people get excited when they consume street foods.
Even they love to explore street foods. Because it is pocket friendly and give ultimate
satisfaction in terms of taste and fulfillment. But the only concern is proper hygiene and
sanitary. They feel consuming street foods are quite risky because of the unhygienic
practices by the vendors. Some consumers feel that vendors follow those unhygienic
practices because they don’t have sufficient knowledge about food safety and hazards.
Some of the consumers think that vendors follow those unhygienic practices to maximize
their profit percentage. Apart from those thoughts, the consumers also feel that the
situations are still changeable in street foods.
According to consumers, some steps can be followed to avoid food hazards. These
precautions can change the overall food hygiene and street foods will become safer to
consume.

Food Safety

Simple measures such as washing and peeling food may reduce the risk of contamination with
microorganisms from raw food. Proper cooking kills almost all dangerous microorganisms.
Studies have shown that cooking food to a temperature of 70° c can help to ensure it is safe for
consumption.

Microorganisms can multiply very quickly if food is stored at room temperature. By holding at
temperature below 5°c above 60°c, the growth of microorganisms is slowed down or stopped –
but some dangerous microorganisms will still grow below 5°c (WHO, 2010).

Depending on the nature of the food operations undertaken, adequate facilities should be available
for heating, cooling, cooking, refrigerating and freezing food, for storing refrigerated or frozen
foods, monitoring food temperatures, and when necessary, controlling ambient temperatures to
ensure the safety and suitability of food (FAO Corporate Document Repository, 1999).

Important hygienic aspects related to Food safety:

• Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood from other foods.

 • Use separate equipment and utensils such as knives and chopping boards for handling raw
foods.
• Store food in containers to avoid contact between raw and prepared foods.
• Wash fruits and vegetables, especially if eaten raw.
• Remove outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
• Cook food thoroughly, make sure that the temperature have reached 70°c.
• Reheat cooked food thoroughly.
• Don’t leave cooked food at room temperatures from more than 2 hours.
• Refrigerate promptly all cooked and perishable food.

Hygiene of the Environment

Potential sources of contamination from environment should be considered. In particular, primary

food production should not be carried on in areas where the presence of potentially harmful
substances would lead to unacceptable level of such substances in food. Dangerous
microorganisms are widely found in soil, water animal and people. These microorganisms are
carried on hands, whipping cloths and utensils, cutting board and slightest contact can transfer
them to food and cause food borne disease (WHO, 2010)

Important hygienic aspects related to the Hygiene of the Environment:

• Protect food and food ingredients from contamination by pests, or by chemical, physical
or microbiological contaminants or other objectionable substances during handling, storage
and transport.
• Waste must not be allowed to be accumulate in food handling, food storage, and other
working areas and the adjoining environment. Waste stores must be kept appropriately
clean.
• Adequate drainage and waste disposal systems and facilities should be provided. They
should be design and constructed so that the risk of contaminating food or the portable
water supply is avoided ( FAO Corporate document repository, 1999).
• Water used for cleaning should be from a safe source or made safe.
• Wash and sanitize all surfaces and equipment used for food preparation WHO, 2010).

Personal Hygiene
As a consequence of humans also containing microorganisms, naturally occurring or from the
surrounding environment, it is incredibly important to maintain an appropriate personal hygiene.

Important hygienic aspects related to Personal hygiene:

• Wash hands before handling food and often during food preparation.
• Wash hands after going to the toilet.
• Drying hands after hand washing.
• Wear clean protective clothing.
• Wear head covering.
• Be aware of cuts and wounds, they should be covered by suitable waterproof dressings.
• Avoid personal behavior such as smoking, spitting, chewing or eating, sneezing or
coughing over unprotected food.
• Do not handle food if know or suspect to be suffering from, or to be carrier of disease or
illness likely to be transmitted through food (FAO Corporate Document Repository, 1999).
• If possible, do not wear personal effects such as jewellery, watches, pins or other items
while food handling.

Food and Quality

It is important to take care in selection of raw materials. Raw materials, including water and ice
may be contaminated with dangerous microorganisms and chemicals. Toxic chemicals may be
formed in damaged and mouldy foods.

Important hygienic aspects related to Food and Quality

• Select fresh and wholesome foods.

• Choose food processed for safety, such as pasteurized milk.
• Use safe water or treat it to make it safer (WHO, 2010).
• Iced should be made from safe water (FAO Corporate Document Repository, 1999).

Control of hygiene

The potential effects of primary production activities on the safety and suitability of food should
be considered at all times. In particular, this includes identifying any specific points in such
activities where a high probability of contamination may exist and taking specific measures to
minimize that probability. The HACCP – based approach may reduce the risk of unsafe food by
taking preventive measures to assure the safety and suitability of food at an appropriate stage in
the operation by controlling food hazards.

Food business operators could control food hazards through the use of systems such as HACCP.
They should:

• Identify any steps in their operations which are critical to the safety of food;
• Implement effective control procedures at those steps;
• Monitor control procedures to ensure their continuing effectiveness; and
• Review control procedures periodically, and whenever the operations change.

These systems should be applied throughout the food chain to control food hygiene throughout the
shelf life of the product through proper product and process design. Small and/or less developed
businesses do not always have the resources and the necessary expertise on site for the
development and implementation of an effective HACCP plan. In such situations, expert advice
should be obtained from other sources e.g. regulatory authorities. HACCP literature and especially
sector‐specific HACCP guides can be valuable. HACCP guidance developed by experts relevant
to the process or type of operation may provide a useful tool for businesses in designing and
implementing the HACCP plan. Where businesses are using expertly developed HACCP
guidance, it is essential that it is specific to the foods and/or processes under consideration (FAO
Corporate Document Repository, 1999).

PRIMARY DATA AND ANALYSIS

The main focus of this project is to collect consumers’ feedback on street foods of Kolkata.
Qualitative data was collected among street food vendors and customers during fieldwork in
Kolkata the capital of the West Bengal state.

DATA COLLECTION
Data was collected using observations, interviews, questionnaire/surveys, etc.

Observations

Observation is something that is very useful in a research. It was quite difficult to observe things
closely without disturbing anyone. During observation it has been noticed that most of food stalls
are covered with crowds and the consumes seemed carefree while eat they don’t care about the
hygiene due hungriness. The vendors were providing fast service. Their hands were full of work
during schedule hours.

Interviews with Vendors

Interviews were conducted with the vendors. The medium of interviews were Bengali because
most of them were comfortable with Bengali. Around 5 vendors were interviews but most of them
weren’t replying properly due to busy schedule.

From the interviews it has been found that most of them have little knowledge about basic food
hygiene but due their situation they are unable to maintain proper hygiene because of the fast
selling system. During interviews a vendor states that:

– “ I want to maintain proper hygiene during food preparation but it is time consuming. Nowadays
people want fast service, they can’t even wait 5 minutes. For that reason I have to prepare good
as fast as I can. So , that is why I sometimes don’t follow the hygiene and sanitary precautions”.

Interviews with Consumers

Around 10 individuals were interview. Consumers ranged between 18-30 years in age, 3 students
and 2 workers and rest of them unknown. Consumers were questioned for couple of minutes. But,
due to consumers being in hurry when purchasing food it was not possible to conduct proper formal
interview. Most of them don’t want to participate in survey. So it was quite difficult to collect
adequate amount of data from them. But the collected information is very authentic and useful for
the entire research.

Questionnaire/Surveys with Consumers

Total 5 individuals were participated in the surveys. The range of ages were 18-45 years, from the
participants 1 was female and rest of all was males.
DATA ANALYSIS

Type of food vended:

During observation it has been found that many different dishes being prepared and sold by the
vendors such as Indian Cuisine Chinese cuisine, British cuisines and many more. The dishes
represented all kind of food from the world including almost all kind of food of different Indian
states. Idli, dosa, chole bhature, etc. all are available in the city of Kolkata.

Types of consumers

During research it has been notice that most of the consumers are very young. Their age are around
13 – 25 years. They consume street foods quite often compare to others civilians. They intake
street foods while coming home from school, college, and workplace, etc. Most of them know that
consuming street foods on daily basis is not good for their health.

But they still consume it because of the taste and obviously the is very much pocket friendly.
According to some consumers, they are very addicted towards street foods that sometimes they
feel extreme cravings.
Food safety:

There were some deviations in the standard of food safety among the various vendors. Some
clearly have some hygiene practice, they wash dishes in hot water, using soap, wearing apron and
cover their food very carefully. But in general the same problem was observed around the streets.
The frequent remarks to encounter were such as non‐covered food and commodities stored in open
boxes or in what ever they have Available of pots, pans, buckets etc., no use of utensils, dirty
towels, cleaning of boards, plates, cups was often done by wiping it “clean” with cloths, which
were often dirty pieces of textiles, tables with leftover of old food and the treat of non‐cooked food
directly on dirty tables and worst case on ground with high risks of contamination. Some vendors
use lid or glass plates to cover the cooking pots, but it was far from all. Often dough was placed
uncovered in a bowl or directly on the table covered with a towel, often dirties. In the worst cases
we observed the raw uncooked food and dough was placed in front of busy traffic by costumers
and cars.

Interviews with consumers:

Criteria for choosing a vendor

The outcome of interviewing consumers has shown a great homogeneity of perceptions towards
street foods when asked and reflecting upon how they choose vendor. Most of the information
were collected in Bengali, so I had to translate all the statements in English. When eating a meal
it is known that the sensory part such as taste, look, smell, consistency etc. had a great importance
for the experience of a meal. However, taste was of highly priority by most of customers. It was
in many cases ranked as one of the most important criterion when they buy street food:

–“I look for the place is clean, stuff around the cart and things like that. But the most important
is the taste, It also depends on the taste, the taste is most important”.

–“ When I go somewhere to eat, I always make sure that the hands and nails of vendors are neat
and clean. If I notice any sort of dirtiness or infection in hands I skip the place and go somewhere
nice”.

– “Number 1 preference is the taste, it´s important that the food is tasty. Number 2 is cleanliness”.
Although consumers expressed a concern for the hygiene aspect, taste is still the most important
when choosing food. The sensory criteria of taste were therefore quite incorporated into the
experience of eating food but also rarely a factor for testing and trusting vendors. Many consumers
choose to buy street food from a known vendor and a social bond to a known vendor seems to be
one of the influential factors when choosing a trusted place to eat:

–“ I know some vendors since couple of year and they prepare food quite hygienically. So I always
buy food from them. Because I feel safe to buy food from them. The quality of foods are up to mark
over there, so why should I go to other vendors”.

–“ If I like some place I go there a lot, if food is not good I shift”.

The reason to eat street food is also depended on social factors such as good company when eating:

–“ I love to try different dishes with my family and friends. But also when I usually hang out with
friends, it is good as a snack and also pocket friendly at the same time.

–“ Most of time I go out with my friends to consume street foods. Because it gives me a great
pleasure and at the same time it is very enjoyable to share foods with friends”.

Most of the interviewed consumers express that it is common to become sick of street food. They
had all tried to or heard about someone became sick of street food. Despite the knowledge that a
certain risk associated with eating street food, all informants eat it at least once a week and some
every day. The mentioned transmissions the costumers are familiar with:

–“The transmission could be in the water, hands and location with many people also could be
from unclean equipment and utensils. Sometimes the ingredients are rotten and the vendors reuse
food in several days. The transmission also could be the vendor himself”.

Most parts of the informants do not see any street food being more unsafe compared to others.
Only one mention that deep fried food and hot food is safer than cold food asking about what can
be done to avoid become sick and what to look for also tell a little about the costumer’s hygiene
knowledge:

–“The vendor could use fresh material and clean water. They can wear gloves. Prober
arrangement when they prepare food use”.
–“I don’t eat cut food and vegetables and I avoid curd products, they get old faster”.

–“ I always try to avoid oily foods, because the oil is really bad in quality. They reuse the oil for
many things and many time”.

–“ I always carry water from home. Because I don’t really trust the vendors in case of water and
other beverages. You never know what kind of water they are using”.

This tells us that customers are aware of certain hygiene aspects, such as washing of hands before
eating, and avoiding unclean water and vendors with poor facilities. The interviews gave insight
in things, which are difficult to see, such as reusing oil and adding the food dangerous colour so it
look more appetizing. In this contrast the taste come into the picture of an essential character again:

–“We can do very little. But it is our decision which vendor we choose and I think the clean vendors
have more costumers than others. But if the food is not tasty, people will not come even if it’s a
clean place”.

Surveys/Questionnaire

A set of multiple choice questions are prepared to take surveys for depth analysis. Only individuals
were agreed to take surveys due to being in a hurry. From the surveys it has been found that most

of people consume street at least 1-2 times per week. Most of think that street foods are cost
worthy. Most of their family members consume street at least 1-2 times per week. Apart from that
it has been found, the consume prefer non-veg dishes over veg and fried dishes are quite common
in their life.
Sample of survey form:
Limitations

It was quite difficult to collect the above information from the consumers. Most of the consumers
weren’t agreed to participate in the survey due to being in hurry. Apart from this, they weren’t
comfortable to share their full name so they used their first name only.
As this project is based on only consumers feedback. But still interviews were conducted with
vendors. Although, most of them weren’t answering the questions properly. They weren’t able to
give their full attention due to busy schedule.

Consumer feedback forms are added with signatures for the authentication of the project.
Surveys are attached below:
 CONCLUSION
The study shows that the consumers have adequate knowledge about street foods. They also aware
about the health and hygiene factors. But due to their circumstances, they just can’t avoid street
foods. They don’t consume street foods because of taste, they consume street foods to survive and
fulfill their hungers. Due to their lifestyles, they have to consume street foods that is whenever
they are at home, they try to consume something nutritious and healthy homemade food. Most of
consumers are from middle class family, so it is quite affordable for them to buy street foods rather
than buying food from any established outlets. Because it is quite expensive to buy food from
established outlets, although they maintain moderate hygiene. It is not just affordability but also
the cultural influence. The Bengalis' love tele bhaja and milk tea. According to them, only the
roadside vendors can prepare the best tele bhaja and tea so they don’t prefer to go any established
outlets because everything is chargeable over there.

But few people consume street foods quite often just because of taste. It is like an addiction to
them, they just can’t help their self that is they are facing obesity, pimples problem, etc. Most of
the consumers really concern about health and hygiene so whenever they eat street foods they try
to find clean and healthy place. This type of consumers are not regular consumers. So, street foods
are like occasion for them. Because are more concern about their health.

Apart from this, the study shows that the vendors actually have a reasonable understanding of
hygiene but they still do not always practice their knowledge. The street food vendors’ express
that it is due to lack of financial resources and facilities in pavement. But many vendors don’t
follow the proper hygiene to maximize their profit. They don’t bother to serve rotten foods.
 RECOMMENDATION
Street foods are connected with our daily life. Whenever one go outside he/she definitely consume
street. Whether one is going alone or family or friends, it doesn’t matter it is part of his/her life to
consume street foods. So, it is not wrong to say that we become habituated with street foods.

Street foods are always interesting to consume. One can’t complain about the taste but one can
complain about the food quality. Because the vendors always use cheap quality products to
maximize their profit. Apart from this, the hygiene factors are also concerning. Because the
vendors don’t really maintain the proper hygiene. Due to lack hygiene, many diseases can spread
such food poisoning, diarrhea, etc.

Although, street foods are good in taste and appealing at the same time. But it is still not
recommend to consume street foods regular basis. Instead of consuming street foods daily, one
should consume street foods as less as he/she can like occasionally. So, He/she can live a fit and
healthy life. It is okay to consume street foods once or twice in a month. But it is not okay to
consume street foods 7 times per week. Apart from this, it is also important to buy food from clean
stalls.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Parvin Anjum Wara (2021) Consumers’ perspective for the betterment of street food and women
food vendors in Kolkata, International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences Volume 10, Issue
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Aybuke Ceyhun Sezgin (2016) Street food consumption in terms of the food safety and health,
International Journal of Human Science
https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/3925

Sharmila Rane (2011) Street Vended Food in Developing World: Hazard Analyses, Indian J
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Indira Chakravarty, Street foods in Calcutta – https://www.fao.org/3/W3699T/w3699t06.htm

Abhishek De, Saswati Mukherjee (2018) Knowledge, attitude and practice of food hygiene among
street food vendors near a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, India, International Journal of
Community Medicine and Public Health –
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323385671_Knowledge_attitude_and_practice_of_foo
d_hygiene_among_street_food_vendors_near_a_tertiary_care_hospital_in_Kolkata_India