Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review

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#developing-countries #diet #fast-foods #feeding-behavior #food-supply

Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review

Steyn et al., 2014 | Public Health Nutr | Systematic Review

Citation

Steyn Nelia Patricia, McHiza Zandile, ... Jacobs Peter. Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review. Public Health Nutr. 2014-Jun;17(6):1363-74. doi:10.1017/S1368980013001158

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To review studies examining the nutritional value of street foods and their contribution to the diet of consumers in developing countries. DESIGN: The electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Proquest Health and Science Direct were searched for articles on street foods in developing countries that included findings on nutritional value. RESULTS: From a total of 639 articles, twenty-three studies were retained since they met the inclusion criteria. In summary, daily energy intake from street foods in adults ranged from 13 % to 50 % of energy and in children from 13 % to 40 % of energy. Although the amounts differed from place to place, even at the lowest values of the percentage of energy intake range, energy from street foods made a significant contribution to the diet. Furthermore, the majority of studies suggest that street foods contributed significantly to the daily intake of protein, often at 50 % of the RDA. The data on fat and carbohydrate intakes are of some concern because of the assumed high contribution of street foods to the total intakes of fat, trans-fat, salt and sugar in numerous studies and their possible role in the development of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Few studies have provided data on the intake of micronutrients, but these tended to be high for Fe and vitamin A while low for Ca and thiamin. CONCLUSIONS: Street foods make a significant contribution to energy and protein intakes of people in developing countries and their use should be encouraged if they are healthy traditional foods.

Key Findings

From a total of 639 articles, twenty-three studies were retained since they met the inclusion criteria. In summary, daily energy intake from street foods in adults ranged from 13 % to 50 % of energy and in children from 13 % to 40 % of energy. Although the amounts differed from place to place, even at the lowest values of the percentage of energy intake range, energy from street foods made a significant contribution to the diet. Furthermore, the majority of studies suggest that street foods cont

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Developing Countries
  • Diet
  • Fast Foods
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Food Supply
  • Humans
  • Nutritive Value

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: thiamine

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09