Lisbon, June 27, 2025 (Lusa) - Around 43% of street food sold in the Portugal's Lisbon region has unsatisfactory microbiological quality levels and 2.6% is potentially dangerous to public health, according to a study by the Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute.
The study, published in the Epidemiological Bulletin Observations of the National Health Institute Dr Ricardo Jorge (INSA), aimed to monitor the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat street food sold in the Lisbon metropolitan area.
A total of 118 unique samples of street food were collected from 39 points of sale in seven areas of the Lisbon district from March 1, 2019–December 31, 2022.
The samples were classified into groups according to INSA guidelines, based on the type of preparation: with or without heat treatment, handling after heat treatment, presence of raw components or components with their own flora.
The foods evaluated included savoury items such as rissoles, codfish cakes and samosas, pastries (such as doughnuts and croissants), sandwiches containing fresh vegetables, hot dogs, hamburgers, mixed salads, fruit, natural juices and sushi.
The study reveals that, of the 118 samples, the microbiological quality compliance statement was satisfactory in 35 (29.7%) and questionable in 29 (24.6%).
Fifty-one samples (43.2%) were assessed as unsatisfactory and three (2.6%) as unsatisfactory and potentially hazardous to public health.
The researchers point out that inadequate washing of raw fruit and vegetables, the use of inappropriate storage temperatures and inefficient control of the use-by time of these products may explain these results.
They note that the three samples rated as potentially hazardous to public health were chicken drumsticks, which, although fully cooked, are a ready-to-eat food that requires a lot of handling during preparation.
“Furthermore, despite being fried before serving, as it is a breaded preparation with some thickness, it should be noted that a sufficient temperature must be reached inside to eliminate any microorganisms that may be present,” it explains.
The results obtained in this study point to “a failure to comply with some of the good hygiene practices in this type of establishment”.
The researchers argue that the detection of E. coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (safety/hygiene indicators) above the Maximum Reference Value in 14.4% (17) and 26.2% (31) of the samples, respectively, reflects the importance of encouraging operators in these companies to improve the food safety systems they have in place.
“Surveillance programmes should be encouraged to motivate and raise awareness among this specific group of operators about the importance of complying with good hygiene and manufacturing practices,” they argue.
The establishment of critical control points, frequent revalidation of handler training and the implementation of self-control programmes are other measures advocated as decisive for the safety and quality of ready-to-eat foods provided by this food sector.
According to data reported to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), between 2019–2023, 721 outbreaks with strong evidence of food origin were associated with exposure sites such as “restaurants, pubs, street vendors, takeaways”, causing 10,871 cases of illness.
Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens were some of the most common causative agents detected in outbreaks associated with these exposure sites.
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