{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T04:36:52Z","timestamp":1787891812177,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774569600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100015815","name":"Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100015815","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Informal food vendors in the Global South face challenges in managing food safety, necessitating strategies that address consumer concerns and market sustainability. This paper examines how informal vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh, cope with these challenges. Framing food vending as a social practice, the study emphasises that food safety is a shared responsibility. Based on research involving 26 vendors, we explore their coping strategies for sourcing, processing, storage, and selling food. Through qualitative analysis, we identify three distinct vendor types\u2014cooked food, wet market, and dry market vendors\u2014each of them employing specific approaches to food safety management. This classification enables a closer exploration of diverse food safety management strategies. Our findings highlight how vendors\u2019 material resources, skills, and daily social interactions with consumers shape their strategies, including information sharing, resource management, trust-building, and innovation. Given the disparities in resource access and skills, we advocate for a multi-faceted approach to food safety that aligns with vendors\u2019 local practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0345227","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T17:33:50Z","timestamp":1774632830000},"page":"e0345227","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Food safety in urban informal market food environment: A social practice perspective on coping strategies of vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5024-1764","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Md. Latiful","family":"Haque","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3067-3068","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Peter","family":"Oosterveer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raffaele","family":"Vignola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref001","first-page":"1579613","article-title":"Improving food safety in the informal sector: nine years later","volume":"9","author":"D Grace","year":"2019","journal-title":"Infect Ecol Epidemiol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0345227.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1201","DOI":"10.1007\/s12571-020-01048-5","article-title":"Driving factors of food safety standards in India: learning from street-food vendors\u2019 behaviour and attitude","volume":"12","author":"AA Reddy","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Sec"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101997","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodpol.2020.101997","article-title":"Informal vendors and food systems planning in an emerging African city","volume":"103","author":"S Giroux","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Policy"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref004","first-page":"127","article-title":"Street food vending in Guwahati: A survival strategy","volume":"5","author":"M Bhattacharyya","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Soc Sci"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0345227.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2743","DOI":"10.1177\/0042098017722738","article-title":"Beyond unemployment: Informal employment and heterogeneous motivations for participating in street vending in present-day China","volume":"55","author":"G Huang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Urban Studies"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodpol.2015.05.002","article-title":"Food safety and urban food markets in Vietnam: The need for flexible and customized retail modernization policies","volume":"54","author":"SCO Wertheim-Heck","year":"2015","journal-title":"Food Policy"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0345227.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3615","DOI":"10.1017\/S1368980020002487","article-title":"Assessing factors influencing adolescents\u2019 dietary behaviours in urban Ethiopia using participatory photography","volume":"24","author":"U Tr\u00fcbswasser","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Health Nutr"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345227.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"655","DOI":"10.1007\/s10460-015-9645-4","article-title":"Shifting configurations of shopping practices and food safety dynamics in Hanoi, Vietnam: a historical analysis","volume":"33","author":"SCO Wertheim-Heck","year":"2015","journal-title":"Agric Hum Values"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345227.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"653","DOI":"10.1007\/s12571-017-0678-y","article-title":"Global panel on agriculture and food systems for nutrition: food systems and diets: facing the challenges of the 21st century","volume":"9","author":"P Scott","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Sec"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref010","first-page":"27","article-title":"Evidence on the burden of unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries","author":"S Jaffee","year":"2019","journal-title":"The safe food imperative: Accelerating progress in low- and middle-income countries. Washington, DC: World Bank"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref011","volume-title":"Patterns and trends in food consumption in poor urban and rural households in Bangladesh: The field survey results","author":"S Halder","year":"2003"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref012","article-title":"New directions for tackling food safety risks in the informal sector of developing countries","author":"S Henson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nairobi, Kenya: International Livestock Research Institute"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref013","unstructured":"HLPE. Food security and nutrition: building a global narrative towards 2030. Rome: High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE). 2020."},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0345227.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10490","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph120910490","article-title":"Food safety in low and middle income countries","volume":"12","author":"D Grace","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1108\/BFJ-04-2017-0208","article-title":"The secrets of the longevity of informal retail markets in Croatia","volume":"120","author":"S Renko","year":"2018","journal-title":"BFJ"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100606","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gfs.2021.100606","article-title":"How do food safety concerns affect consumer behaviors and diets in low- and middle-income countries? A systematic review","volume":"32","author":"J Liguori","year":"2022","journal-title":"Global Food Security"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0345227.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"532","DOI":"10.3390\/foods9040532","article-title":"Food Environment Typology: Advancing an Expanded Definition, Framework, and Methodological Approach for Improved Characterization of Wild, Cultivated, and Built Food Environments toward Sustainable Diets","volume":"9","author":"SM Downs","year":"2020","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gfs.2018.08.003","article-title":"Concepts and critical perspectives for food environment research: A global framework with implications for action in low- and middle-income countries","volume":"18","author":"C Turner","year":"2018","journal-title":"Global Food Security"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100015","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cdnut.2022.100015","article-title":"How Perspectives on Food Safety of Vendors and Consumers Translate into Food-Choice Behaviors in 6 African and Asian Countries","volume":"7","author":"S Isanovic","year":"2022","journal-title":"Curr Dev Nutr"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"483519","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/483519","article-title":"Food Safety Challenges towards Safe, Healthy, and Nutritious Street Foods in Bangladesh","volume":"2014","author":"M Khairuzzaman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int J Food Sci"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0345227.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2021.e07640","article-title":"The food safety knowledge of street food vendors and the sanitary conditions of their street food vending environment in the Zululand District, South Africa","volume":"7","author":"NV Nkosi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315745046","volume-title":"Food safety and informal markets: Animal products in sub-Saharan Africa","author":"K Roesel","year":"2014"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2013.11.007","article-title":"Traceability in a food supply chain: Safety and quality perspectives","volume":"39","author":"MM Aung","year":"2014","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2019.e01205","article-title":"A study on the prevalence of heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial contaminants and antibiotics resistance pathogens in raw salad vegetables sold in Dhaka, Bangladesh","volume":"5","author":"S Ahmed","year":"2019","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref025","article-title":"Dealing with food safety concerns among urban poor when eating out: social practices in Dhaka, Bangladesh","volume":"7","author":"MdL Haque","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Sustain Food Syst"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103372","DOI":"10.1016\/j.habitatint.2025.103372","article-title":"Does food safety governance in Bangladesh include the urban poor? An analysis of government strategies and policies for the retail food environment in Bangladesh, 2013\u20132022","volume":"159","author":"ML Haque","year":"2025","journal-title":"Habitat Int"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1269362","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1269362","article-title":"Unplanned urbanization and health risks of Dhaka City in Bangladesh: uncovering the associations between urban environment and public health","volume":"11","author":"MA Rahaman","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17349","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-68099-y","article-title":"Inadequate food safety knowledge and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh","volume":"14","author":"S Islam","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0345227.ref029","first-page":"39","article-title":"Formalin crime in Bangladesh: a case study","volume":"2","author":"M Kamruzzaman","year":"2016","journal-title":"Eur J Clin Biomed Sci"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0345227.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1804","DOI":"10.3390\/agronomy11091804","article-title":"Quantification of Pesticide Residues in Fresh Vegetables Available in Local Markets for Human Consumption and the Associated Health Risks","volume":"11","author":"US Nisha","year":"2021","journal-title":"Agronomy"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1016\/j.toxrep.2023.09.003","article-title":"Pesticides in vegetable production in Bangladesh: A systemic review of contamination levels and associated health risks in the last decade","volume":"11","author":"P Khatun","year":"2023","journal-title":"Toxicol Rep"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104611","DOI":"10.1016\/j.worlddev.2019.104611","article-title":"Food safety in low and middle-income countries: The evidence through an economic lens","volume":"123","author":"V Hoffmann","year":"2019","journal-title":"World Development"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0345227.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1887","DOI":"10.3390\/su2071887","article-title":"Citizen-Consumers as Agents of Change in Globalizing Modernity: The Case of Sustainable Consumption","volume":"2","author":"G Spaargaren","year":"2010","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345227.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1177\/0961463X12464228","article-title":"Habits, routines and temporalities of consumption: From individual behaviours to the reproduction of everyday practices","volume":"22","author":"D Southerton","year":"2012","journal-title":"Time & Society"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2022.910547","article-title":"Street food environmental sustainability in a urbanizing global south: A social practice perspective","volume":"6","author":"R Vignola","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Sustain Food Syst"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1177\/1469540505049846","article-title":"Consumers, Producers and Practices","volume":"5","author":"E Shove","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Culture"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref037","article-title":"The dynamics of social practice: everyday life and how it changes","author":"E Shove","year":"2012","journal-title":"London: SAGE Publications Ltd"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1177\/13684310222225432","article-title":"Toward a theory of social practices: a development in culturalist theorizing","volume":"5","author":"A Reckwitz","year":"2002","journal-title":"Eur J Soc Theory"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref039","first-page":"1","article-title":"The nexus of sayings and doings in social practice theory","volume":"30","author":"D Nicolini","year":"2009","journal-title":"Organ Stud"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref040","unstructured":"UN-Habitat. Urbanization in Bangladesh: Building inclusive & sustainable cities. 2020 May 6. Available: https:\/\/unhabitat.org\/bangladesh"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5369920","DOI":"10.1155\/ijfo\/5369920","article-title":"Analysis of food safety knowledge and practices among food handlers in restaurants and street food markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study","volume":"2025","author":"MS Rahman","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Food Sci"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0345227.ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"784","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics10070784","article-title":"Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance among Commercial Poultry Farmers in Bangladesh","volume":"10","author":"MM Hassan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Antibiotics (Basel)"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref043","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.24018\/ejfood.2022.4.1.442","article-title":"Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Ready to eat Food Sold by Street Vendors in Bangladesh","volume":"4","author":"SM Nahidul-Islam","year":"2022","journal-title":"EJFOOD"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0345227.ref044","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2107","DOI":"10.4315\/JFP-20-172","article-title":"Prevalence and Multidrug Resistance Pattern of Salmonella Carrying Extended-Spectrum \u03b2-Lactamase in Frozen Chicken Meat in Bangladesh","volume":"83","author":"MS Parvin","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Food Prot"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref045","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.3329\/jemc.v7i2.32651","article-title":"Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Chotpoti Vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh","volume":"7","author":"MZ Hassan","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Enam Med Col"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0345227.ref046","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.9734\/mrji\/2018\/v26i630083","article-title":"Multidrug resistant Salmonella isolated from street foods in Chittagong, Bangladesh","volume":"26","author":"MM Hassan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Microbiol Res J Int"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345227.ref047","first-page":"273","article-title":"Factors of climate migration of poor slum dwellers in Dhaka city","volume":"3","author":"K Amjad","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Earth Sci Knowl Appl"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref048","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1002\/psp.1893","article-title":"Migration, Informal Labour and (Trans) Local Productions of Urban Space \u2013 The Case of Dhaka\u2019s Street Food Vendors","volume":"22","author":"B Etzold","year":"2014","journal-title":"Population Space and Place"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref049","first-page":"397","article-title":"Food safety and nutrition for low-income urbanites: exploring a social justice dilemma in consumption policy","volume":"31","author":"S Wertheim-Heck","year":"2019","journal-title":"Reg Environ Change"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref050","first-page":"99","article-title":"Perceptions and practices of informal food vendors regarding food safety in low-income urban areas","volume":"29","author":"M Harris","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int Food Policy Res J"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0345227.ref051","first-page":"1408","article-title":"Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative research","volume":"20","author":"PI Fusch","year":"2015","journal-title":"Qual Rep"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref052","first-page":"420","article-title":"Normalising green behaviours: a new approach to sustainability marketing","volume":"28","author":"R Rettie","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Mark Manag"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref053","first-page":"3","article-title":"Informality as agency: negotiating food security in Dhaka","volume":"140","author":"B Etzold","year":"2009","journal-title":"Die Erde"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345227.ref054","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/s44187-024-00232-2","article-title":"Food safety knowledge and attitudes among fish vendors in informal markets in Ilorin, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study","volume":"4","author":"I Ghali-Mohammed","year":"2024","journal-title":"Discov Food"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345227.ref055","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1007\/s41027-023-00444-7","article-title":"The Informal Economy in Comparative Perspective: Theory, Policy and Reality","volume":"66","author":"MA Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ind J Labour Econ"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref056","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"479","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spc.2022.04.024","article-title":"Urban daily lives and out-of-home food consumption among the urban poor in Nigeria: A practice-based approach","volume":"32","author":"KP Adeosun","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sustain Prod Consum"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref057","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101433","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cosust.2024.101433","article-title":"Unpacking the informal midstream: how the informal economy could contribute to enhanced food system outcomes","volume":"68","author":"E Termeer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0345227.ref058","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0313635","article-title":"Fast food over safe food? A qualitative evaluation of a food safety training intervention for street vendors applying the COM-B model in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso","volume":"19","author":"DS Madjdian","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref059","unstructured":"Young G, Crush J. Governing the informal food sector in cities of the Global South. 30. 2019. https:\/\/hungrycities.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DP30.pdf"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0345227.ref060","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0288499","article-title":"Informal ready-to-eat food vending governance in urban Nigeria: Formal and informal lenses guiding the practice","volume":"18","author":"KP Adeosun","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref061","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2021.03.062","article-title":"Contamination of ready-to-eat street food in Pakistan with Salmonella spp.: Implications for consumers and food safety","volume":"106","author":"J Raza","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Infect Dis"},{"key":"pone.0345227.ref062","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103608","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cities.2022.103608","article-title":"Persistence of open-air markets in the food systems of Africa\u2019s secondary cities","volume":"124","author":"C Hannah","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cities"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0345227.ref063","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0287996","article-title":"Food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice of street food vendors and associated factors in low-and middle-income countries: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis","volume":"18","author":"B Desye","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0345227","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T17:33:59Z","timestamp":1774632839000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0345227"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Charles Odilichukwu R.","family":"Okpala","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]]},"references-count":63,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0345227","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]]}}}