Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Street Food Vendors and Microbiological Quality of Selected Street Foods in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

Street foods provide affordable meals and income opportunities in Ethiopian cities but are often prepared under unhygienic conditions, posing serious foodborne disease risks. This study assessed food safety parameters among 160 randomly selected street food vendors across five sub-cities of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, observational checklists, and microbiological analyses of five common food types: fried fish, sambussa, bonbolino, ambasha, and chips. Standard procedures were applied to enumerate coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, yeasts, and molds, and to detect Salmonella spp. Over 90% of vendors demonstrated inadequate food safety knowledge, and hygiene practices were generally poor. Microbiological analysis revealed contamination levels exceeding WHO/FAO safety limits, with fried fish and chips showing the highest total coliform and S. aureus counts. Salmonella spp. was detected in 21.9% of samples, primarily in fried fish and chips. Vendor education level was significantly associated with hygiene behavior (p = 0.007). Contamination levels varied significantly among food types (p < 0.05), with relative risk values (RR = 0.94–0.66) confirming higher contamination likelihood in fried fish and chips. The findings indicate that street-vended foods in Bahir Dar pose major public health concerns due to widespread microbial contamination and poor vendor practices. Targeted interventions, including vendor training, licensing, improved infrastructure, and stricter regulatory control, are urgently needed to enhance food safety and reduce the urban burden of foodborne diseases in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.