Hawker food industry: food safety/public health strategies in Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the socio‐demographic factors affecting food safety knowledge/practice and the effectiveness of food safety strategies of hawkers in an urban and less urban setting of Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 50 hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were given a questionnaire and observed in their food safety practice (FSP). In‐depth interviews were performed on four hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping.
Practical implications
Of all hawker types, Muslim/Malay hawkers, hawkers with higher educational levels, hawkers in designated sites and hawkers in an urban setting scored the highest on food safety knowledge and/or practice. This study found inadequate distribution/impracticality of regulations/guidelines for hawkers, ambiguities with licensing procedures, weaknesses in training programmes and significant complaints of designated sites by hawkers.
Originality/value
Ethnicity, religion, education and type of premise are socio‐demographic factors that may affect food safety knowledge/practices of hawkers. An urban/less urban setting may also affect hawkers' food safety knowledge/practice. Ineffectiveness of food safety strategies of the Control Authority may exist and may vary across different regions of Malaysia. Thus, food safety strategies must be regulated/reinforced and adapted to hawkers' socio‐demographic status, to ensure the safety of hawker foods in Malaysia.
Keywords
Citation
Pang, F. and See Toh, P. (2008), "Hawker food industry: food safety/public health strategies in Malaysia", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 41-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650810848007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited