Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To review studies examining the nutritional value of street foods and their contribution to the diet of consumers in developing countries. Design: The electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Proquest Health and Science Direct were searched for articles on street foods in developing countries that included findings on nutritional value. Results: From a total of 639 articles, twenty-three studies were retained since they met the inclusion criteria. In summary, daily energy intake from street foods in adults ranged from 13 % to 50 % of energy and in children from 13 % to 40 % of energy. Although the amounts differed from place to place, even at the lowest values of the percentage of energy intake range, energy from street foods made a significant contribution to the diet. Furthermore, the majority of studies suggest that street foods contributed significantly to the daily intake of protein, often at 50 % of the RDA. The data on fat and carbohydrate intakes are of some concern because of the assumed high contribution of street foods to the total intakes of fat, trans -fat, salt and sugar in numerous studies and their possible role in the development of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Few studies have provided data on the intake of micronutrients, but these tended to be high for Fe and vitamin A while low for Ca and thiamin. Conclusions: Street foods make a significant contribution to energy and protein intakes of people in developing countries and their use should be encouraged if they are healthy traditional foods.
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Urban slum dwellers rely on day wages to purchase food, and street food vending is often a significant source of calories and nutrition.
“Urban slum dwellers rely on day wages to purchase food, and street food vending is often a significant source of calories and nutrition [69, 70].”
From Slum Health: Arresting COVID-19 and Improving Well-Being in Urban Informal Settlements (2020) · cites this paper as [69]
The Energy and nutrient intakes section says street foods make a significant contribution to dietary energy and reports their contribution to some micronutrients. The Advantages of the street food trade section links street-food consumption to employment and income, but our copy does not say that urban slum dwellers rely on day wages to purchase food. Page numbers were not provided in the indexed passages. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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“This led to Ghana’s national per capita animal protein consumption being one of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, estimated at some 53 g per day [17] which is lower than the recommended 65 g.”
Backgroundde França, S. A., dos Santos, M. P., Przygodda, F., Garófalo, M. A. R., Kettelhut, Í. D. C., MAGALHÃES, D. A. D., Bezerra, K. S., Colodel, É. M., Flouris, A. D., Andrade, C. M. B., et al. (2016) · Lipids · doi:10.1007/s11745-016-4119-z · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Our laboratory has investigated the effects of a low protein, high-carbohydrate (LPHC) diet in rats [22–29] because the nutrition of children, after weaning, across the Western world is rich in carbohydrates and poor in protein content [30, 31].”
BackgroundCharacterization of the School Neighborhood Food Environment in Three Mexican Cities
Soltero, E. G., Ortiz-Hernández, L., Jáuregui, E., Lévesque, L., y Taylor, J. R. L., Barquera, S., & Lee, R. E. (2017) · Ecology of Food and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/03670244.2016.1274261 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Street Food Stand Availability, Density, and Distribution Across Income Levels in Mexico City
Chavez, J. R., Bruening, M. M., Ohri‐Vachaspati, P., Lee, R. E., & Jehn, M. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18083953 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“The local government pays a blind eye to the presence of SFS, because, in dense urban centers like Mexico City, SFS are seen as an urban necessity: they are a source of affordable and convenient food, as well as a source of income for thousands of people [29,34,39].”
BackgroundStreet food in Maputo, Mozambique: Availability and nutritional value of homemade foods
Sousa, S., Gelormini, M., Damasceno, A. A. M., Lopes, S. A., Maló, S., Chongole, C., Muholove, P., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Moreira, P. A. M., et al. (2018) · Nutrition and Health · doi:10.1177/0260106018816427 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“A systematic review on nutritional contribution of SF in developing countries (Steyn et al., 2014), reported a high contribution of SF to daily intakes of fat, trans fat and sugar, which is of great concern due to the role of those nutrients in the development of obesity and chronic NCD (European, 2014; Gulati and Mis…”
BackgroundMobile produce market influences access to fruits and vegetables in an urban environment
Hsiao, B.-S., Sibeko, L. N., Wicks, K., & Troy, L. M. (2018) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980017003755 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“In developing countries and US urban centres where street food and other mobile vendors sell a variety of foods including prepared foods, mobile market users may face different challenges to healthful food access, such as food safety or competition with unhealthful foods((25,71)).”
BackgroundGastronomic Heritage of Făgăraș Land: A Worthwhile Sustainable Resource
Bolborici, A.-M., Lupu, M. I., Sorea, D., & Atudorei, I. A. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su14031199 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Cook, B., Trevenen-Jones, A., & Sivasubramanian, B. (2024) · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · doi:10.3389/fsufs.2024.1382383 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Reeve, E., Thow, A. M., Bell, C., Soti‐Ulberg, C., & Sacks, G. (2021) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10203-2 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
de Morais, I. L., Lunet, N., Albuquerque, G., Gelormini, M., Casal, S. I. P., Damasceno, A., Pinho, O., Moreira, P. A. M., Jewell, J. M., Breda, J., et al. (2018) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu10010098 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“However, using 24-h urine collection method for monitoring and evaluation can pose a high burden for surveillance in LMICs, as it requires full capacity and financial and political support [69].”
BackgroundInfluentialAdeosun, K. P., Greene, M., & Oosterveer, P. J. M. (2022) · Sustainable Production and Consumption · doi:10.1016/j.spc.2022.04.024 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Taillie, L. S., Afeiche, M. C., Eldridge, A. L., & Popkin, B. M. (2016) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980016002196 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Previous research has found that, similar to other developing countries, street vendors are especially important sources of dietary intake((25,26)), with a study using Mexico’s 2006 National Health and Nutrition Survey showing that of adults aged >20 years, 32% consumed meals, 37% consumed snacks and 54% consumed drin…”
BackgroundMacronutrient composition of street food in Central Asia: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Albuquerque, G., de Morais, I. L., Gelormini, M., Sousa, S., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., Lunet, N., & Padrão, P. (2020) · Food Science & Nutrition · doi:10.1002/fsn3.1753 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“…its nutritional composition, depending on the ingredients used, preparation and food processing methods (Draper, 1996; Namugumya & Muyanja, 2012; Steyn et al., 2014), it has been estimated that street food largely contributes to the total intakes of fat, particularly TFA, salt and sugar (Steyn…”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialIdowu‐Adebayo, F., Toohey, M. J., Fogliano, V., & Linnemann, A. R. (2020) · Food & Function · doi:10.1039/d0fo02888f · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Manger en ville. Regards socio-anthropologiques d’Afrique, d’Amérique latine et d’Asie
Soula, A., Yount‐André, C., Lepiller, O., & Bricas, N. (2020) · Éditions Quæ eBooks · doi:10.35690/978-2-7592-3091-4 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
A Cross-Sectional Study of the Street Foods Purchased by Customers in Urban Areas of Central Asia
Sousa, S., de Morais, I. L., Albuquerque, G., Gelormini, M., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Motta, C., Damasceno, A., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., et al. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13103651 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“In LMIC, street food has a significant dietary contribution to the everyday diet, frequently serving as a replacement for home meals [9].”
BackgroundFood and beverage purchases at formal and informal outlets in Mexico
Farah, I., Stern, D., Ramírez-Toscano, Y., López‐Olmedo, N., Ferrer, C. P., Langellier, B. A., Colchero, M. A., & Barrientos‐Gutiérrez, T. (2022) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980022002324 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Studies showing that informal food outlets are an important source of food provision are predominantly focused on disadvantaged populations in big cities(9,16,18,20) and are limited in geographical scope(17).”
Street Food, Food Safety, and Regulation: What is the Panorama in Colombia?: A Review
Contreras, C. P. Á., Cardoso, R. D. C. V., da Silva, L. N. N., & González-Cuello, R. (2020) · Journal of Food Protection · doi:10.4315/jfp-19-526 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Albuquerque, G., de Morais, I. L., Gelormini, M., Sousa, S., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Damasceno, A., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., Lunet, N., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Public Health · doi:10.3389/ijph.2022.1604558 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation
Lichy, J., Dutot, V., & Kachour, M. (2022) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121775 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Adeosun, K. P., Oosterveer, P. J. M., & Greene, M. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0288499 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Kenaw, W., Mohammed, W., & Woldetsadik, K. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0288534 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Wegerif, M. C. A. (2023) · Food Security · doi:10.1007/s12571-023-01409-w · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Street traders are a significant supplier, especially in poorer neighbourhoods, of nutrition, protein and energy in South Africa and across most African countries (Skinner & Haysom, 2016; Steyn et al., 2014).”
Street food in Eastern Europe: a perspective from an urban environment in Moldova
Albuquerque, G., Gelormini, M., de Morais, I. L., Sousa, S., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., Lunet, N., & Padrão, P. (2020) · British Journal Of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114520002020 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“foods are energy-dense sources of nutrients for populations worldwide(10).”
InfluentialWho Is Serving Us? Food Safety Rules Compliance Among Brazilian Food Truck Vendors
Auad, L. I., Ginani, V. C., Leandro, E. D. S., Nunes, A. C. S., Domingues, L. R. P., & Zandonadi, R. P. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15122807 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Termeer, E., van Berkum, S., Dijkxhoorn, Y., & Piters, B. D. S. (2024) · Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2024.101433 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Street Food in Malaysia: What Are the Sodium Levels?
Haron, H., Arifen, Z. N. Z., Shahar, S., Mohamad, H., Yazid, S. F. Z. M., Michael, V., Abeyasinghe, R. R., Taketo, T., & Trieu, K. (2022) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods11233791 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Ahmed, S. A. M., Simiyu, E., Githiri, G., Sverdlik, A., & Mbaka, S. (2015) · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Battersby, J., Brown-Luthango, M., Fuseini, I., Gulabani, H., Haysom, G., Jackson, B., Khandelwal, V. K., MacGregor, H., Mitra, S., Nisbett, N., et al. (2023) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-023-10507-6 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“…at the interstices of ‘on-‘ and ‘off-grid’, along a continuum of different provisioning – see below) can either undermine (Battersby & Muwowo 2019; Steyn et al. 2013; Mboganie Mwangi et al. 2002) or crimi-nalise existing provision (such as street vending) (Skinner 2016; Bénit-Gbaffou 2016; Roy…”
Consumer trust in Thai street food vendors: implications for the post-pandemic era
Teangsompong, T., Yamapewan, P., & Sawangproh, W. (2024) · International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy · doi:10.1108/ijssp-09-2023-0220 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Pulse Production, Consumption and Utilization in Nigeria within Regional and Global Context
Akah, N. P., Kunyanga, C. N., OKOTH, M. W., & Njue, L. K. (2021) · Sustainable Agriculture Research · doi:10.5539/sar.v10n2p48 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“…food and, so, play critical nutritional and economic roles in many places particularly Nigeria (Wilhelmina et al., 2010; Oranusi & Braide, 2012; Steyn et al., 2013; Afolabi, Towobola, Oguntona, & Olayiwola, 2013; FAO, 2016; The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]/FAO,…”
BackgroundFood supply chains and child and adolescent diets: A review
Nordhagen, S. (2020) · Global Food Security · doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100443 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Ronoh, P., Furlong, C., Kansiime, F., Mugambe, R. K., & Brdjanović, D. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17176355 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“In both seasons, the consumption of street food was higher in children, similar to a study in Mali [44].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe informal sector’s role in food security: A missing link in policy debates?
Skinner, C., & Haysom, G. (2016) · UWC Research Repository (University of the Western Cape) · Cited by 14 · see citing works
dos Santos, M. P., dos Santos, E. B., Pereira, M. P., Paula-Gomes, S., Zanon, N. M., Kettelhut, Í. D. C., Karatzaferi, C., Andrade, C. M. B., de França, S. A., Baviera, A. M., et al. (2016) · The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2016.04.008 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Normally, children in these countries consume a great amount of carbohydrates anda small quantity of protein,which can lead to structural damage in several organs and increased mortality [1,2].”
BackgroundKagaruki, G. B., Mahande, M. J., Kreppel, K. S., Mbata, D., Kilale, A. M., Shayo, E. H., Mfinanga, S., & Bonfoh, B. (2022) · BMC Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s40795-022-00589-6 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“The study was designed with an understanding that the majority of people in urban areas of low and middle-income countries, including Dar es Salaam city, continue to rely on street food vendors for their daily meals [18, 38].”
BackgroundTrade dynamics in Cape Town township informal foodservice – a qualitative and supply chain study
Petersen, L. M., Charman, A. J. E., & Kroll, F. (2017) · Development Southern Africa · doi:10.1080/0376835x.2017.1412297 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“This is reflected through the role of street foods in providing daily dietary intake (Steyn et al., 2013) but, in various cases (in Cape Town and Johannesburg) more frequently utilised than supermarket chains (Battersby, 2011; Rudolph et al., 2012).”
BackgroundSseguya, W., Matovu, N., Swann, J., & Draper, A. (2020) · Nutrition and Health · doi:10.1177/0260106020919629 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Its nutritional value also has a well-documented role in addressing urban nutrition security challenges (FAO, 1991; Draper, 1996; Tinker, 1997; Steyn et al., 2013).”
BackgroundPatterns of Street Food Purchase in Cities From Central Asia
Sousa, S., de Morais, I. L., Albuquerque, G., Gelormini, M., Casal, S. I. P., Pinho, O., Motta, C., Damasceno, A. A. M., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.925771 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Our results are in line with the increasing availability and consumption of ultraprocessed foods and beverages that is happening in the region, arising from quick economic and technological development, as well as globalization, which have been transforming food systems in Asian LMIC (39, 40).”
BackgroundInfluentialBasheikh, Z. O., Jumbe, T. J., & Kulwa, K. B. M. (2023) · Food Science & Nutrition · doi:10.1002/fsn3.3374 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“High sugary foods obtained from ultra- processed foods such as soft drinks and also from traditional/homemade beverages due to additional sugar in the drinks (Albuquerque, Lança de Morais, et al., 2022; Bouafou et al., 2021; Steyn et al., 2014).”
BackgroundCrespi‐Vallbona, M., & Noguer-Juncà, E. (2024) · International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science · doi:10.1016/j.ijgfs.2024.100924 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
An integrative model of the key factors determining consumer behaviour towards street food
Soliman, M. S. A., Al-Ghafri, N., Orea-Giner, A., Alriyami, H., & Al-Aamri, M. S. H. (2024) · British Food Journal · doi:10.1108/bfj-06-2024-0565 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Kaddouri, M., Alia, O. A. E., Zine-Eddine, Y., Alqahtani, A. S., Bouhrim, M., Galman, A., & Boutoial, K. (2025) · Food Science & Nutrition · doi:10.1002/fsn3.70322 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“This sector significantly contributes to meeting the nutritional needs of urban populations by providing food that is both accessible and often economically viable (Steyn et al. 2014).”
Caracterización del consumo de comida callejera según edad, estudio multicéntrico
Durán‐Agüero, S., Arboleda, L. M., Vargas, J. E. V., Centurión, G. F., Céspedes, L. G., da Rocha, A. M. C. N., Lima, J. P. M., Nessier, M. C., Raimondo, E. E., Valderrama, Á. M. V., et al. (2018) · Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética · doi:10.14306/renhyd.22.3.554 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Nutritional Content of Street Food and Takeaway Food Purchased in Urban Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sousa, S., de Morais, I. L., Albuquerque, G., Gelormini, M., Santos, M., Hadžiomeragić, A. F., Stojisavljević, D., Damasceno, A. A. M., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., et al. (2021) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods10112594 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“In other settings, high contents of total, saturated and trans-fat have also been documented in both street [16,30,40] and takeaway food [41,42], and their frequent consumption have been associated with negative health outcomes [43,44].”
BackgroundPlanlı Davranış Teorisi Kapsamında Sokak Yemeği Yeme Niyetinin Ölçülmesi: Mersin Örneği
Şahi̇n, E., & Solunoğlu, A. (2019) · Seyahat ve Otel İşletmeciliği Dergisi · doi:10.24010/soid.562353 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Sousa, S., Gelormini, M., Damasceno, A. A. M., Lopes, S. A., Maló, S., Chongole, C., Muholove, P., Moreira, P. A. M., Lunet, N., & Padrão, P. (2021) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods10112561 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“A systematic review on nutritional contribution of street food in developing countries showed that street food presented a high contribution to the daily intakes of fat, trans fat, and sugar [18].”
BackgroundBezerra, A. C. D., Cervato-Mancuso, A. M., & Heitz, S. J. J. (2014) · Ciência & Saúde Coletiva · doi:10.1590/1413-81232014195.18762013 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Scott, N., Barnard-Tallier, M., & Batchelor, S. J. (2021) · Energies · doi:10.3390/en14134004 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“, crisps, biscuits and soft drinks [30].”
BackgroundInfluentialChavez, J. R., Bruening, M. M., Royer, M. F., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Lee, R. E., & Jehn, M. (2021) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s136898002100330x · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Nutritional Characterization of Street Food in Urban Turkmenistan, Central Asia
Albuquerque, G., Sousa, S., de Morais, I. L., Gelormini, M., Motta, C., Gonzales, G. B., Ovezov, A., Damasceno, A. A. M., Moreira, P. A. M., Breda, J., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.877906 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Nevertheless, the types of items available and their nutritional composition (8), as well as the role of these smaller businesses in the local food environments remain understudied, particularly in the region (8, 12, 13).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialWiatrowski, M., Czarniecka‐Skubina, E., Trafiałek, J., & Rosiak, E. (2021) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods10112640 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
- Authors
- Steyn, N. P., Mchiza, Z., Hill, J., Davids, Y. D., Venter, I., Hinrichsen, E., Opperman, M., Rumbelow, J., & Jacobs, P.
- Affiliations
- Human Sciences Research Council (ZA)
- South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Steyn, Nelia Patricia
- ORCID
- Venue
- Public Health Nutrition
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2013-05-17
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1363-1374
- ISSN
- 1368-9800 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2727
- PMC
- PMC10282211
- OpenAlex
- W2046632839
- Cited by
- 203
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 4
- FWCI
- 0.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Public Health Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Keywords
- street food, nutritional value, energy intake, protein intake, dietary fat intake, trans fatty acids, salt intake, sugar consumption, micronutrient intake, developing countries, traditional food, obesity, non-communicable diseases
- MeSH terms
- Developing Countries, Diet, Feeding Behavior, Food Supply, Humans, Nutritive Value, Fast Foods
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