Street foods are prevalent, with a large number of people from all ages and income groups consuming a variety of foods. Moreover, it provides local residents as well as inbound tourists with traditional and cultural sources as a tourist attraction.
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Street foods are prevalent, with a large number of people from all ages and income groups consuming a variety of foods. Moreover, it provides local residents as well as inbound tourists with traditional and cultural sources as a tourist attraction.
In spite of these potential benefits, street foods have been reported to be reluctant to purchase with hygienic, social, health problems and the like. Governments frequently attack street food enterprises as unsightly, as causing congestion, and as unsafe; indeed harassment by municipal officers was the greatest impediment for street food vendors. There is currently a very low level of perception about issues of street foods among vendors and consumers. It is necessary for most countries to embark on aggressive vendor and consumer education programmes as a way of mitigating the problems.
Accordingly this study was carried out with the purpose of identifying perceived risk of street foods and drawing attention to consumers' demands to alleviate these problems and enhance sustainable enhancement of the street food industry.
Sample data were collected from questionnaires in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in August, 2007. The collected data were analyzed with frequency, cross tabulation, factor & reliability analysis, and regression analysis was used to test the theoretical model developed to guide the study using SPSS 15.0 for Windows.
The result of this study indicates, firstly, that social/psychological, environmental, and financial risk on street foods are the main risk factors which influence the consumers' purchase belief negatively. Secondly, hygienic, environmental and health risk are the main risk factors which influence the consumers' purchase attitude negatively. Lastly, purchase belief and purchase attitude had a significant impact on purchase intention as follows: repurchase and word-of-mouth intention. It means that the more negative purchase belief and attitude, the lower percentage of street foods were purchased.
In conclusion, an integrated strategy for improving street foods should involve health concern and other regulations; vendors and consumers should address not only food safety, but also environmental health management, including consideration of inadequate sanitation and waste management, possible environmental pollution, congestion and disturbances to traffic.
When officials encourage rather than harass, the vendors are more likely to improve their food quality and invest in carts that promote sanitation and attend training sessions. The training should include programs on nutrition, food safety, hazard analysis, preventative measures, environmental sanitation and personal hygiene. Public health inspectors need to be more vigilant in monitoring vending sites and to better enforce the regulations governing the sale of street foods. Vendors and those who assist in the preparation of street foods should undergo a regular medical checkup and should possess valid food badges or licences.
As stated above, street foods deserve the attention of policy-makers and vendors should be given opportunities to improve their situation and develop their enterprises into city food establishments. Consumers should also organize themselves into recognized groups to enable them to be heard in matters affecting them.
If confirmed through further empirical research, the finding would necessitate adjustments in the theoretical perspective used in the current study.