F&N Bulletin Vol 23 No 1b - United Nations University

Street food vendors
Reardon [28] correctly state, this tendency is worrisome,
because it may have an adverse effect on rural
production of indigenous foods, some of which (e.g.,
millet and amaranth) are rich sources of micronutrients.
In addition, the production of wheat rather than
local grains may be expensive and therefore not augur
well for the poor.
Presentation of food groups
The food-product diversity offered depends on local
food preferences, purchasing power being the limiting
factor. Except for fruit varieties, the study locations in
Nairobi were similar in the number of product varieties
within food groups. Generally, cereal and animal
products are the most varied. This was expected of
cereals because they can be modeled into different
products and are generally cheap. Animal products
can be modeled into different varieties as well and,
moreover, are made from a varied number of animal
parts. The presence of more fruits in the industrial area
and in Dandora is a reflection of consumer preferences.
Fruits are generally expensive, contain a lot of
water, are not filling, and hence are not in the interest
of the urban poor.
In general, a high proportion of individual vendors
lack food group variety. This is especially so in the
Dandora lower-middle income residential area, where
vendors sell mostly cereal products that are consumed
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as snacks and products of animal origin that are commonly
consumed as part of home-prepared dinners
or lunches. The association of products of animal
origin with the Dandora lower-middle income area
as compared with the other areas is probably due to
differences in the ability of consumers to afford certain
food groups. The cost of products of animal origin,
is high and only those who can afford to buy them.
Hence, although this study does not address street food
consumer characteristics, the links between food group
variety and study location is indicative of the type of
consumers found in the study areas. This contradicts
Blair’s [29] assertion that street foods are democratic
in that everybody consumes the same food. It is clear
that the higher-income people are better able to afford
street foods of animal origin, hence the greater supply.
The aspect of purchasing power of consumers is well
reflected here.
Differences are found in the proportions of vendors
selling single-key nutrient foods between the residential
areas and the industrial area. The proportion
of vendors selling only energy-rich foods is high in
both the Korogocho slums and the Dandora lowermiddle
income, and the proportion of those selling
only micronutrient-rich foods (only fruits in this
case) is equally low in both areas. Vegetables are never
consumed on their own, and hence they are only sold
by vendors selling mixed-nutrient dishes. Although the
proportion of vendors selling mixed-nutrient foods is
TABLE 5. Energy and nutrient contribution of typical one- and multiple-food-group street dishes in Nairobi
Vitamin
Ribo-
Fat
Energy Protein Iron Calcium A Thiamine flavin
Type of dish energy a % of adult equivalent/serving
Common one-food-group dishes b
Cereal (± fat)
Mandazi and uji 13 16 16 73 10 4 7 1
Chapati and uji 22 26 25 112 26 0.1 29 3
Mahindi chemsha and uji 9 32 20 135 10 0.1 15 10
Common multiple-food-group dishes
Cereal and legume (± fat)
Githeri 14 30 64 157 66 1 29 13
Githeri and uji 12 39 73 195 74 0.3 33 13
Chapati and maharagwe 27 29 62 144 68 6 55 12
Ugali and maharagwe 18 36 77 176 65 10 71 19
Cereal, legume, and vegetable (± fat)
Githeri and mboga 17 34 73 196 83 56 33 14
Chapati, maharagwe, and mboga 28 33 68 188 99 57 63 17
Cereal and vegetable (± fat)
Chapati and mboga 39 22 29 86 57 80 27 9
Chapati and sukuma wiki 44 22 24 41 42 48 39 3
Ugali and sukuma wiki 22 34 44 76 36 53 67 17
Cereal, meat, and vegetable (± fat)
Ugali, nyama, and sukuma wiki 32 42 64 94 61 53 75 22
a. % of total energy/serving.
b. May be cooked in fat.