TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the socio‐demographic factors affecting food safety knowledge/practice and the effectiveness of food safety strategies of hawkers in an urban and less urban setting of Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach– A total of 50 hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were given a questionnaire and observed in their food safety practice (FSP). In‐depth interviews were performed on four hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping.Practical implications– Of all hawker types, Muslim/Malay hawkers, hawkers with higher educational levels, hawkers in designated sites and hawkers in an urban setting scored the highest on food safety knowledge and/or practice. This study found inadequate distribution/impracticality of regulations/guidelines for hawkers, ambiguities with licensing procedures, weaknesses in training programmes and significant complaints of designated sites by hawkers.Originality/value– Ethnicity, religion, education and type of premise are socio‐demographic factors that may affect food safety knowledge/practices of hawkers. An urban/less urban setting may also affect hawkers' food safety knowledge/practice. Ineffectiveness of food safety strategies of the Control Authority may exist and may vary across different regions of Malaysia. Thus, food safety strategies must be regulated/reinforced and adapted to hawkers' socio‐demographic status, to ensure the safety of hawker foods in Malaysia.
VL  - 38
IS  - 1
SN  - 0034-6659
DO  - 10.1108/00346650810848007
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650810848007
AU  - Pang Fiona
AU  - See Toh Poh
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Hawker food industry: food safety/public health strategies in Malaysia
T2  - Nutrition & Food Science
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 41
EP  - 51
Y2  - 2024/04/20
ER  -