Bacterial Analysis of Common Street Foods Sold Around Elementary Schools in Lucena City

The study focused on the microbial analysis of street foods sold around elementary schools in Lucena City. Specifically, it investigated the street food consumption and hospital admission cases of school children, the practices of the street food vendors, and the microscopic bacteria found in street foods sold around elementary schools in the city. A mixed method design was used in this study wherein secondary data were gathered through survey, interview, and laboratory analysis. Using stratified random sampling, a survey was done among 120 grade one students in Lucena City aged 7-8 years old, while an interview was conducted among purposively selected street food vendors. Bacterial analysis of street foods was also done through food sampling using FDA’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Percentage, weighted mean, and ranking were used to analyze quantitative data. Results showed that school children tend to eat street foods due to its cheapness and taste but usually in moderation. Unfortunately, almost half of the responding population stated that they got admitted to the hospital due to gastrointestinal diseases and there were cases wherein there is a perfect correlation with a child’s street food consumption and hospital admission. But it seems that it will always be a case to case basis when it comes to bacterial infection because the samples that were collected have minute number of bacteria present indicating that they do not harbor a huge amount of pathogenic bacteria. Probably, this is due to the prioritization of sanitation by the vendors themselves based on their statements. But unfortunately, not all their statements were justified by their actions based on the data gathered. Results also showed that street food vendors have varying practices and procedures when it comes to preparation, cooking, selling, cleaning, and disposal. They try to make the sanitation and cleanliness of the food as most important since they are handling and selling perishable goods. Upon laboratory analysis, samples collected from street food stalls in Lucena City mostly have minute number of coliform bacteria and shows no confirmation of Salmonella presence therefore these street foods can be considered as safe for consumption based on bacterial presence. Whether the study results may or may not confirm that street foods are harmful because of pathogenic bacteria, there is still a great need to craft an effective nutrition and business program relative to the scrumptious and sanitary consumption of street foods. The City Health Office should also have accurate medical data especially of children to reveal medical patterns and phenomena that should be addressed. Teachers should also be trained on what they should do when a student is suffering from any disease and has shown any infection.