An assessment of food safety practices among public food vendors in urban and rural areas of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined food safety practices among 593 registered food vendors in urban and rural areas of Cross River State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, and participants were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were gathered through the validated Food Safety Practices Questionnaire (FSPQ) and direct observation. The FSPQ had acceptable reliability indices (>0.70) across all subscales. One-sample t-test and two-way MANOVA were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that food safety practices were significantly low in water supply (M=17.08), environmental cleanliness (M=17.07), and food handling (M=14.23), all below the population mean of 25.00 (p<0.05), whereas personal hygiene (M=29.47) exceeded the benchmark (p<0.05). Urban vendors demonstrated better hygiene (M=31.76) than rural vendors (M=23.83). A significant main effect of location was found, F(4, 586)=114.56, p<0.001, η²=0.439, with urban vendors adhering more closely to standards. No significant differences were found between stationary and mobile vendors (p=0.739, η²=0.003) or in their interaction with location (p=0.517, η²=0.006). Enforcement of food safety regulations was significantly below the expected benchmark in urban (M=19.76, SD=8.85) and rural areas (M=20.84, SD=8.47), with the overall sample also recording low enforcement (M=20.07, SD=8.75). These findings expose deep-rooted challenges, particularly in rural areas lacking basic infrastructure. The absence of strong regulatory oversight further compounds the problem. Addressing these gaps will require urgent investments in potable water supply, targeted hygiene training, and a review of food safety laws.