Bacteriological and Nutritional Qualities of Street – Vended Seafoods in Parts of Rivers State, Nigeria

It is noted in this study that one of the core principles of prevention of consumption of seafoods contaminated with microorganisms which may be pathogenic to consumers or that may cause food poisoning, is prevention of contamination by food handlers at wholesale and retail levels. However, the barriers of old practices and perhaps the most important of all, the yet unfulfilled need for continuing education of food handlers and street vendors at all levels of processing and retail make implementation of the acknowledged principles difficult. Consumers can protect themselves from potential problems that could arise from contamination, by refrigerating street-vended shucked shellfish as soon as possible after purchase and consuming them, adequately cooked, within two to three days.