ABSTRACT
This study investigated the structure and environment of 31 street food vendors in an urban park in the downtown area of Guatemala City. Vendors were interviewed and observed in order to assess the quality, safety, and accessibility of street food. The street food vending in the park consisted of five types: whole meal, snack, beverage, fruits, and carts. A great variety of typical Guatemalan meals, as well as ready-to-eat fruits and hot dog chapin (hot dog with cabbage and avocado cream), were found in the park. The food preparation and handling revealed inadequacies concerning the hygiene. Circumstances, such as the lack of portable water near the vending site and unhygienic sanitary facilities, supported the transmission of pathogens. The clientele was of all ages, and included female as well as the male purchasers. Typical clients came from the surrounding area, i.e. the employees of civil and private offices, commercial businesses, and the non-food vendors of the park. Comparing the economy of street food with the definition of very poor in Guatemala, the prices on the street were often above the daily money needed for a basic food basket. However, a special clientele were the very poor, such as the street children and handicapped people, who carned their meals by helping out at the vending sites. Mainly female street food vendors were found at the whole meal, snackm and refreshment sites whereas men sold predominantly at the carts. For all of the vendors, it was the main source of income and for many families the only one.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child , Consumer Product Safety , Food , Food Handling , Hygiene , Urban Population , Food Contamination , Guatemala , Poverty , Quality ControlABSTRACT
Se investigó el nivel de lípidos y vitaminas liposolubles así como su correlación en el plasma de 107 ancianos (29 por ciento de sexo masculino y 71 por ciento femenino) procedentes de "Guajitos", comunidad periurbana de Guatemala. Las edades oscilaron entre 60 a 103 años (promedio:69 ñ 8). Los promedios de niveles plasmáticos fueron: colesterol: 220 ñ42(128 a 428) mg/dl; trigliceridos: 189 ñ92 54 a 513) mg/dl; retinol 50 ñ 16 (4.5 a 103) mg/dl, B-carotenos: 17 ñ 12 (12-60) µg/dl, y tocoferol: 1.32 ñ 36 (0.54 a 2.46) mg/dl. Se encontró correlación significativa entre colesterol y retinol, colesterol y tocoferol, triglicéridos y retinol, triglicéridos y tocoferol en ambos sexos, así como entre colesterol y ß-carotenos en las mujeres. No se encontró correlación entre colesterol y ß-carotenos en hombres, ni entre triglicéridos y ß-carotenos en ambos sexos