Regulation of street foods in Kumasi: stakeholder practices and perceptions
Date
November,2015
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Abstract
Street foods serve as an important source of employment and food for urban residents.
Consequently, the effective regulation of street foods has been identified as crucial in
satisfying the health and food needs of consumers, the income and employment needs of
vendors, and the well-being of urban communities in general. Nonetheless, very little
research has been conducted in Ghana focusing primarily on the regulation of street foods.
This research complements existing knowledge on street foods in Ghana by focusing on the
regulation of street foods and the practices and perceptions of stakeholders in regulation. This
research employed the qualitative research tools of observation and interview to investigate
the legal and institutional framework of street food regulations, the practices, perceptions,
and interactions among stakeholders and, the challenges involved in the regulation of street
foods in Kumasi, Ghana. This research revealed that the laws and policies guiding regulations
are not specific to street foods and the body charged with the regulation of street foods faces
significant resource challenges and performs other non-street food regulatory functions as
well. The involvement of stakeholders was found to be mostly centered on the education of
food vendors, leaving important functions like inspection to be performed by only the street
food regulatory body. Even though the relationship between regulators and street food
vendors was found to be marked by distrust and, occasionally by hostility, the relationship
was also mediated by informal relations and agreements. This research makes
recommendations for the improvement of communication between regulators and vendors in
order to develop trust, and the adoption of inclusive approaches towards improving
regulations that address the needs of both vendors and regulators.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology, 2015