Food Safety and Sanitary Conditions among Food Vendors in Higher Learning Institutions: A Case of the Institute of Rural Development Planning (IRDP) Dodoma

The food vending industry plays an important role in developing countries in meeting the food demands of the urban dwellers. Operators in street food vending normally depend on low capital with no business license, targeting low income individuals while neglecting issues related to hygiene and safety of the service. Unsanitary handling of street foods by some of the vendors has been commonly found to be the source of contamination. Vendors become carriers of pathogens like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Staphylococcus aureus and eventually transfer these foods borne hazards to the consumers. By employing descriptive survey using structured questionnaires and extensive observation of vendors, the study assesses the food safety and sanitary practices among food vendors in higher learning institution and the sanitary conditions at the food vending points.86.7 % of the food vendors had improper storage facilities, 72.4 % of them reused oil for frying, 35.9 % warmed the food before serving it to the customers. It was also observed only 20 % had hair restraints by a head scarf and 36.7 % wore aprons. Awareness creation on better hygienic practice to food vendors is recommended.