Contribution of street foods to the dietary needs of street food vendors in Kampala, Jinja and Masaka districts, Uganda.

OBJECTIVES To assess the contribution of street foods to the energy and nutrient needs of street food vendors. DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Food intake for the street food vendors was measured using the 24 h recall method and a semi-quantitative FFQ with emphasis on the source of all foods consumed. SETTING Kampala, Jinja and Masaka districts, Uganda. SUBJECTS The study included 225 street food vendors trading in prepared cooked foods. RESULTS The majority of vendors (87·6 %) were women with age range of 21-50 years. Traditional dishes were the most commonly prepared foods and classified into main meals, sauces, vegetables and snacks. The food groups consumed most commonly by street food vendors fall under energy-giving and body-building foods (0·26 (sd 0·81)). The mean daily intake of energy from street foods varied between 22·4 % and 25·6 % (2412 kJ). Carbohydrates contributed the highest proportion of energy (70·1 % to 93·4 %), followed by protein (38·6 % to 44·9 %) and fat (21·9 % to 26·3 %). Street food vendors obtained 24·0 % to 32·5 % of their RDA for Ca from street vended foods, with the lowest intake in Jinja (11·2 % to 23·9 %, P < 0·05). Niacin and thiamin intakes from street foods were respectively above 74 % and 150 % of the RDA. The contribution of street foods to the RDA for Zn ranged from 81·9 % to 190·9 %, and from 3·5 % to 4·9 % for retinol. Fe intake from street vended foods was 40·9 % to 49·7 % of the RDA. CONCLUSIONS Street foods contribute to sources of dietary energy and other nutrients among street food vendors in Uganda.