Date: May 2012 Social science that makes a difference

Factors which influence the

consumption of street foods and fast

foods in South Africa

NP Steyn, D Labadarios, JH Nel

• Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other

public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often

from a portable stall.[1] While some street foods are regional, many are

not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are

both finger and fast food. Street food costs less than a restaurant

meal. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion

people eat street food every day.[2]

Definitions

Definitions

• Fast food is usually eaten in a formal building.

Delivery of foods is very fast from point of

ordering and many fast food operations are

franchises. Commonly have a specialty such as

burgers, pizzas, fried chicken and a fixed menu

Making candied fruit in Tianjin China

AFRICAN STREET SELLERS

Basic ways of vending

More sophisticated street vending operations

Introduction

• Despite the fact that thousands of people eat fast foods

and street foods very little data on fast food and street

food consumption in South Africa

• No national studies despite the fact that street food

vending may employ about 25% of the workforce

• Concern regarding the nutritive value of fast foods and

street food since they are frequently energy dense. High

in saturated fat and sugar and low in micronutrients

• They may contribute significantly to the high prevalence

of obesity in RSA

2 Local studies on fast foods

ONLY 1 on street foods

• 1. Soweto 17 year olds consumed fast foods 5-7

times/week with 20% having it 2-4 times a week (Feeley

et al. 2009)

• 2.Young adults at 3 malls in Gauteng were found to

spend an average of $28.57 per month on fast foods.

Most popular items were burgers, pizza and fried

chicken with soft drinks (van Zyl et al 2010)

• Most of the items purchased are energy dense and high

in saturated fats and sugar and low in nutrient density

(Steyn et al. 2011)

Selected findings of FA0 study in Gauteng

(urban province of RSA) on street foods in 2000

65% vendors sold porridge or meat

Average buying frequency 5 times a week

Mainly purchased at mid-day

Monthly expenditure R250 (25 Euros) per month

Ingredients mostly purchased from other retailers in 76% of cases

Average start up capital R620 (62 Euros)

Average profit R1 600 (160 Euros/month)

In spite of temperature abuse, low bacterial counts and incidences of pathogens

Methodology of national study in South Africa

• Nationally representative sample n= 3287 in four ethnic

groups in urban and rural areas in all 9 provinces

• Participants were 16 + years

• Personal interviews were done at household level

• Questionnaire included questions on street food and fast

food use, types eaten, frequency of eating and amount

of money spent

• Results

Percent population who purchased street and fast foods

2 or more times a week by ethnic group in RSA

5.4 5.5

14

12.5

19

11.4

1.9

2.9

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Black Mixed ancestry Indian White

Pe

rce

nt

pe

op

le

Fast food

Street food

Percent population who purchased street food and

fast food 2 or more times a week, by age group

9.1

6.6 6.1

4.2

21.4

18.2

15.2

9.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

16-24 yrs 25-34 yrs 35-49 yrs 50+ yrs

Pe

rce

nt

pe

op

le

Age groups

Fast food

Street food

Percent fast foods (FF) and street foods (SF)

consumed by the population according to SES

category

9.8

27.8

0.9

5.5

20.5

33.5

4.3

29.4

11.1

14.6 13.4

50.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

SF≥2 x week SF2-3 x mth FF≥2 x week FF2-3 x mth

Pe

rce

nt

Low LSM

Medium

High LSM

Percent population in different provinces

consuming fast foods and street foods

7.9

8.2

1.4

21.5

11

18.4

24.7

12.7

26.5

16.2

2.8

1.3

2.8

10.5

5.3

0.8

11.9

5.6

7.2

6.5

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

West Cape

East Cape

North Cape

Free State

KwaZulu-Natal

North West

Gauteng

Mpumalanga

Limpopo

South Africa

Percent

Fast food

Vendors

Consumption of fast food (FF) and street food (SF)

by geographic area

4.7

16.3

19.4

16.7

0.7

2.6

2.8

9.7

0 5 10 15 20 25

Rural

Tribal

Urban informal

Urban formal

Percent

≥ 2 x week FF

≥ 2 x week SF

Commonly consumed street foods

58.6

29.3

15.2

18.2

25.1

22.5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Fruit

Cold drinks

Cooked food

Sweets/biscuits

Sav snacks

Other

Percentage purchasing the item

Most common street foods in South

Africa

Common South African cooked street foods

Commonly eaten fast foods in SA

Logistic regression of factors which impact on

frequent purchasing of street foods

Factors OR 95% CI

Pension/grant 0.58* 0.37-0.88

Water from river 0.32* 0.12-0.85

Water in the home 1.65* 1.11-2.44

Stove 1.28* 1.03-1.60

TV 1.55* 1.23-1.96

Mobile phone 1.54* 1.19-1.98

Logistic regression of factors which impact on

frequent purchasing of fast foods

Factors Odds Ratio 95% CI

Casual work 0.29* 0.13-0.63

Pension/

grant

0.35* 0.24-0.50

Formal housing 2.75* 1.12-6.74

Water in home 2.96* 2.16-4.06

Electricity 2.07* 1.13-3.80

Stove 4.31* 3.43-5.42

TV 4.17* 3.28-5.29

Motor vehicle 4.45* 3.72-5.32

Dietary diversity based on 9 group score

using 24 HR method

• Frequent fast food consumers had a significantly higher

Dietary Diversity Score (4.69; p<0.0001) than those who

rarely consumed

• Frequent street food consumers had a significantly lower

DDS (3.81; p<0.0001)than those who rarely consumed

street foods

Conclusion

• The nutrition community need to pay more attention to

the consumption of fast foods and street foods

• Attempts should be made to develop healthy and

affordable street foods both as a source of good nutrition

and as an income generating activity

Current research: Development of a street food model

whereby healthy food items are sold and income

generation is optimal