Assessing mobile food vendors (a.k.a. street food vendors)--methods, challenges, and lessons learned for future food-environment research.
OBJECTIVES
Mobile food vendors (also known as street food vendors) may be important sources of food, particularly in minority and low-income communities. Unfortunately, there are no good data sources on where, when, or what vendors sell. The lack of a published assessment method may contribute to the relative exclusion of mobile food vendors from existing food-environment research. A goal of this study was to develop, pilot, and refine a method to assess mobile food vendors.


STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional assessment of mobile food vendors through direct observations and brief interviews.


METHODS
Using printed maps, investigators canvassed all streets in Bronx County, NY (excluding highways but including entrance and exit ramps) in 2010, looking for mobile food vendors. For each vendor identified, researchers recorded a unique identifier, the vendor's location, and direct observations. Investigators also recorded vendors answers to where, when, and what they sold.


RESULTS
Of 372 identified vendors, 38% did not answer brief-interview questions (19% were 'in transit', 15% refused; others were absent from their carts/trucks/stands or with customers). About 7% of vendors who ultimately answered questions were reluctant to engage with researchers. Some vendors expressed concerns about regulatory authority; only 34% of vendors had visible permits or licenses and many vendors had improvised illegitimate-appearing set-ups. The majority of vendors (75% of those responding) felt most comfortable speaking Spanish; 5% preferred other non-English languages. Nearly a third of vendors changed selling locations (streets, neighbourhoods, boroughs) day-to-day or even within a given day. There was considerable variability in times (hours, days, months) in which vendors reported doing business; for 86% of vendors, weather was a deciding factor.


CONCLUSIONS
Mobile food vendors have a variable and fluid presence in an urban environment. Variability in hours and locations, having most comfort with languages other than English, and reluctance to interact with individuals gathering data are principal challenges to assessment. Strategies to address assessment challenges that emerged form this project may help make mobile-vendor assessments more routine in food-environment research.
['Lucan|S C|SC|', 'Varona|M|M|', 'Maroko|A R|AR|', 'Bumol|J|J|', 'Torrens|L|L|', 'Wylie-Rosett|J|J|']
D003132:Commerce D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D005260:Female D005522:Food Services D005544:Forecasting D006801:Humans D008297:Male D009519:New York City D019370:Observation D036301:Qualitative Research D012107:Research Design D012111:Residence Characteristics
Food environment Immigrant workers Measurement/Assessment Mobile food vendors/Street vendors/Street foods/Food carts Urban/New York City/Bronx