Assessment of Food Hygiene and Safety Knowledge and Practices among Street Food Vendors in Mowe Town of Ogun State, Nigeria

Street food is a major source of affordable cooked food in developing countries, including Nigeria, yet it remains a significant public health concern due to the risk of food borne illnesses.Poor food handling practices increase the likelihood of contamination with biological, chemical and physical hazards.This study assessed food hygiene and safety knowledge and practices among 103 street food vendors in Mowe town of Ogun State, Nigeria using a cross-sectional descriptive survey involving structured questionnaires and interviews.Most vendors (73.79 %) were females, and over half (54.37 %) were aged 18 to 35 years.Secondary education was the most common qualification (32.04 %), and (42.72 %) were married.The mean food hygiene and safety knowledge/awareness score was 69.42 %, while the mean food hygiene and safety practice score was lower at 54.53 %.Chi-square test (χ²(1) = 0.71, p = 0.398) showed no statistically significant association between knowledge/awareness and food handling practices, although this finding should be interpreted cautiously given the small proportion of respondents with inadequate awareness.The findings suggest that knowledge alone may not consistently translate into safe food handling practices, with implications for more targeted training for vendors and regulators, supported by enabling environments, supervision, compliance monitoring, and regulatory oversight.Strengthened intergovernmental collaboration may also support sustainable improvements in street food safety.