Street vendors selling stuffed mussels, simit (a type of bread), or sunflower seeds from trays, boiled corn in buckets, and cotton candy in bags, wandering among sunbathers on the beach in Antalya and other places, pose a public health risk.
With rising temperatures, street vendors have increased in number at beaches, which are preferred by people to relax and cool off, despite being banned.
Street vendors trying to sell boiled corn in buckets or stuffed mussels and simit on trays carried on their heads or shoulders, expose food items to dust and sunlight for extended periods, threatening human health.
The sale of popular street foods like stuffed mussels and boiled corn without adhering to hygiene and preservation conditions and exposing them to sunlight for a long time increases the risk of food poisoning among consumers.
Ali Manavoğlu, President of the Antalya Branch of the Food Engineers Chamber, stated that the sale of stuffed mussels, corn, open simit, and sunflower seeds exposed to sunlight and dust poses health risks.
Manavoğlu emphasized the need to be cautious about consuming open stuffed mussels, noting that the sale of mussels produced without registration and approval and without adhering to cold chain standards in hot weather threatens public health.
