CHARACTERIZATION OF STREET FOOD CONSUMPTION AND HYGIENIC-SANITARY PERCEPTION OF STREET FOOD STALLS IN PARAGUAY

Background and objectives: The sale of food on the street is a common practice around the world. The nutritional quality of food and hygienic-sanitary conditions of street food stalls varies between countries, and may have implications for certain health-related events. The objective of this study was to characterize the consumption of street food and the perception of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the street food stalls in Paraguay. Methods: As part of a multicenter study conducted in 11 Iberoamerican countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Portugal), we applied a structured online survey with 12 questions related to sociodemographic characteristics, the street food consumption frequency, perception of hygiene of the street food stalls and episodes of vomiting or diarrhea following after the consumption of these foods. Results: 525 people were surveyed, 51.8% (n = 272) reported consumption od street food in the last 3 months. We found that 79% were women, 61,8% were between 18 and 30 years old, 49,3% had university studies and 36,8% were postgraduates, also 66.5% worked or studied in the health or food area. During the last 3 months 33.8% consumed some type of food on the street every week. The most frequently consumed foods were: chipa (cassava flour bread) (40.6%), meat patties (40%), brochets (36.8%), sandwich (36.7%) and fruits (40%). The availability of these foods (38.6%), lack of time to prepare meals (25%) and the fact that they are tasty foods (23.5%) are the main reasons for consumption. Only 11.4% of people had the perception that the food street stalls were clean or hygienic and 14.7% reported having diarrhea or vomiting after consuming some food at these stalls. Conclusions: Despite the high educational level of the population surveyed and the perception of poor hygienic-sanitary conditions in the street food stalls, the consumption of unhealthy food on public places is highly frequent. Given that availability is a key conditioning factor of consumption, promotion of fruit consumption could be a valid strategy.