Street Vendors

These are pictures of street vendors in Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago on April 12th 2013. The first photo is a picture of make shift stalls used to sell clothing on in the back of a lot near the sidewalk. The next one is of a vendor selling ice cone on the side of the street right outside a park in the center of Port of Spain.

With rapid urbanization, informal activities like street-food vending are increasingly becoming important livelihood activities for the urban poor as they offer employment and cheap foods. However, street-food vending in Trinidad and Tobago, as in many developing countries, faces many constraints such as poor organization, low entrepreneurial knowledge and low investments due to poor access to credit and even more importantly food safety concerns.

The term "street foods" describes a wide range of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold and sometimes prepared in public places, notably streets.  Like fast foods, the final preparation of street foods occurs when the customer orders the meal which can be consumed where it is purchased or taken away. Street foods and fast foods are low in cost compared with restaurant meals and offer an attractive alternative to home-cooked food. In spite of these similarities, street food and fast food enterprises differ in variety, environment, marketing techniques and ownership. Street foods often reflect traditional local cultures and exist in an endless variety. There is much diversity in the raw materials as well as in the preparation of street food beverages, snacks and meals. Vendors' stalls are usually located outdoors or under a roof which is easily accessible from the street. They have low-cost seating facilities which are sometimes rudimentary. Their marketing success depends exclusively on location and word-of-mouth promotion. Street food businesses are usually owned and operated by individuals or families but benefits from their trade extend throughout the local economy. For instance, vendors buy their fresh food locally, thus linking their enterprises directly with small-scale farms and market gardens.

The "informal" sale of raw and prepared foods is a distinguishing feature of most cities in developing countries.In many cities in developing countries, a significant percentage of the population is engaged in informal employment. Much of this informal business involves the sale, processing and distribution of food. Therefore, it is an income-generating activity and a important livelihood for urbanites but often does not figure in a country's national accounts or in its official economic development policies.  In times of economic crisis, city dwellers tend to resort to the informal sector for both employment and the purchase of goods and services. You tend to find more women working in informal activities than men which is due to gender inequality or attributed to traditional gender roles. however in times of crisis you'll find bought genders on the street side.Wherever food is concerned, we are not only dealing with a topic of economic importance but also one that is of cultural and social significance. The informal food sector is a transactional sphere where one can obtain "home-cooked" food as opposed to the growing presence of "factory cooking". Many urbanites value their street foods, home-based catering networks, neighborhood markets, mobile vendors and home-made condiments that can be purchased easily in any large Third World city. Each street food enterprise is generally small in size, requires relatively simple skills, basic facilities and small amounts of capital, yet they are very numerous and have considerable potential for generating income and employment.  If it is properly managed, a healthy street food sector also improves street life because it helps to stimulate pedestrian traffic rather than automobile-oriented thoroughfares that are devoid of people. 

In Trinidad and Tobago street vendors can be seen in most major cities and some rural areas. You find them selling food, mostly doubles and gyros, selling clothing and footwear from outside a vehicle or a little stall or you find them selling drinks besides the highway or walkways. This is a direct result of lack of job opportunities and large portion of unskilled workers due to rapid population growth and increased urbanization.