Breaking the odds: Young men making a living from ‘street food’ business

Wisdom is a young school leaver from the South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria but resides in Lagos with his brothers.

For Wisdom, the street food business is another side hustle to keep body and soul together.

Just like Wisdom, many young men are finding succour in the street food business as a primary means of livelihood.

This is more appealing now because the typical street food business was dominated by women a few years ago.

Little wonder, Styl-Plus in 2006 released a hit song titled ‘Iya Basira’ celebrating the goodness and industry of women in the street food business popularly referred to as ‘bukka.’

Styl-Plus in referencing why people go back to every ‘Iya Basira’ out there, said, “o boy this food sweet no be small o” according to a particular line of the song, which is also a true reflection of street food across Nigeria.

People, people make una come o; Iya Basira e don jazz me o, oh-oh-oh; Everybody helep save me o; I no dey sabi chop at my mother or my girlfriend’s food,” the chorus of the song reads, and true to that fact, many Nigerians eat out-of-home.

Street food is characterised by certain parameters and the business thrive in areas that are densely populated, and are usually on low budget (cheap, convenient, and easily accessible) for middle and low-income people.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), street foods as ready-to-eat foods and beverages prepared and/or sold by vendors and hawkers, typically in streets and other public places.

The culinary landscape of various regions in Nigeria is also characterised by a variety of street foods that are unique to certain regions of the country like “Abacha” to the South-east, “Ewa Agoyin” to the South West, and Suya to the North.

Nigerian street foods come in different varieties, which millions of low-income consumers rely on for their daily sustenance.

Their convenience, peculiarity and affordable prices make them widely acceptable for low budget meals, especially within their catchment areas.

Street foods have formed part of the daily dietary pattern of several Nigerians who cannot do without their consumption.

However, the breakaway from the norm is a welcome development that speaks to the doggedness and can-do spirit of the average Nigerian.

Today, many young men no longer seek for white-collar jobs and are instead creating their own jobs by joining the growing armies of street foods merchants.

With over 200 million populations, Nigeria offers a ready-made market for every street food vendor who understands the market and knows his/her culinary pretty well.

“Men in the street food business can even do better than women if given the chance,” Modupe Oni, a Lagos-based businesswoman said.

According to her, qualities like politeness, agility and patience that men possess can make them do better in the street food business when compared to women.

“For instance, Solar Kitchen at Festac is a guy selling food and is successful at it and it’s because of the concept he brought to it,” Oni said.

According to her, the originality and uniqueness of the food will make men stand out in the street food selling niche, because when men engage in street food they are selective of what part of the street food to venture into.

“The regular street food with the table, tent or canopy and cooler settings doesn’t necessarily appeal to the public eye when it’s men doing the selling.

“But an outdoor bukka with an actual outdoor fixed tent and different food displayed in enclosed glass will be appealing when it’s men doing the selling especially when the food tastes good,” Oni said.

She disclosed that some street food like Shawarma, Noodles or Suya, are unique to gender with men dominating the business.

However, Oni insists that a hungry tummy does not care who is selling the food because all they want for the moment is to be fed, especially with good food.

According to her, it is not a bad idea to have more men in the street food business, but that it depends on the locality and the setup for the fast food.

“Regardless of who is selling the food (men or women), I think it’s the quality of food being served for me irrespective of gender.

“That’s why Chicken Republic, TFC and other big eateries will never go out of business; it’s just the quality of food served,” Oni said.

The Nigerian street food culinary ecosystem is widely known with puff-puff, Abacha, Ewa Agoyin, Fried plantain, yam & akara, Suya, Moi Moi, roasted/boiled corn, Shawama, Noodles, among others.

While some are known for specific time/period of the day, some are seasonal. For instance, Shawama and Suya are usually associated with the evening while the likes of Abacha and Ewa Agoyin are popular for breakfast or lunch depending on the situation.

However, the quality of these foods is of concern to many individuals who often consider the location and the process the food went through before getting to their respective point of sales.

Need for standard and safety

The quality and safety concerns associated with street foods have also raised the need for standards.

Street foods such as roasted plantain (Boli), corn, yam and others have high-quality issues that arise from handling, notably poor handling by potential buyers who have direct contact, touching it on several occasions during the selection or negotiation process before consumption.

But, the love for street foods by Nigerians is so high that the majority of consumers ignore these quality concerns, which has given more voice to the notion that “disease no dey kill black man.”

Also, the quality and safety concerns are not limited to roasted street foods but the entire street food catalogue, because the consumer cannot ascertain the safety of the food being consumed at any given point.

The exposure to foreign contaminants from dust, smoke and other impurities is also of concern as most of these are processed in open areas exposed to such contaminations. More so, there is little or no regulation in this area of the fast food business; hence, the safety concerns being raised are considered to be genuine.

In some instances, operators display their food in open areas without proper covering from foreign contamination.

In addition, poor hygiene practices by some of its handlers, improper storage and distribution as well as usage of unsafe ingredients all contributed to the safety and standard concerns.

The impact of the quality issue that arises from street foods cannot be overlooked as street food, which is a subsector of the food industry, continues to grow year after year.

Over the years, there have been reported cases of foodborne illness and other life-threatening diseases resulting from the consumption of foods with fewer or no traceable records from its sales.

It is pertinent for all relevant stakeholders, regulatory bodies, private companies, and government agencies to put more efforts in addressing the quality concerns associated with street foods in Nigeria.

Consumers also have a key role to play in addressing these concerns by paying more attention to what they consume on the streets.

While consumer awareness is essential, public health campaigns indicating the health consequences of consuming unwholesome street foods with poor hygiene practices should be deepened by all stakeholders.

Corporate acceptance

The growing acceptance for street food across Nigeria has opened it up for more corporate acceptance on the back of its economic and market value.

This is so as more and more corporate entities are curating programmes and events targeted at street food vendors.