Proximate Analysis of Locally Prepared Vended Dishes in Owerri Municipality of Imo State

This study is aimed at evaluating the food vendor's practices, proximate analysis of locally prepared vended dishes in Owerri Municipality of Imo state. Five zones (A, B, C.D and E) were considered and the food assessed were cooked spaghetti, beans, rice and stew. The proximate analysis of the food samples revealed that the mean moisture content ranged from 59.91% in cooked spaghetti to 89.0% in stew. Protein content varied from 2.23% in stew to 13.45% in cooked beans, while Fat varied from 0.13% in cooked rice to 8.02% in stew; Ash ranged from 0.22% in cooked beans to 0.81% in stew; Carbohydrate ranged from 17.73% in cooked beans to 36.33% in cooked spaghetti; the Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE) present only in stew ranged from 0.43% in Zone E to 3.28% in Zone A. It was concluded that street foods provide a source of affordable nutrients to the majority of the people especially the low-income group in the developing countries, however, all the proximate components were within the normal range in the zones.