Availability and Nutritional Composition of Street Food in Urban Central Asia: Findings From Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract

<b>Objective:</b> To describe the availability and nutritional composition of commonly available street foods in Almaty, Kazakhstan. <b>Methods:</b> 384 street food vending sites (in 10 public markets) were assessed; information on vending sites' characteristics and food availability and samples of the most commonly available street foods (81 homemade; 40 industrial) were collected for chemical analysis. <b>Results:</b> Fruit, beverages and food other than fruit were available in 1.0%, 47.4% and 92.7% of all vending sites. Homemade food other than fruit (e.g., bread, main dishes, snacks, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes) were available in 63.4% of stationary vending sites, while industrial (e.g., snacks, chocolate, cakes, and cookies) in 45.6% of them. Industrial foods were the most energy-dense [median kcal/100 g: 438.8 vs. 267.2, <i>p</i> < 0.001 (homemade)]. Traditional homemade dishes were high in sodium, reaching 2,248 mg/serving (<i>lagman</i>) and major contributors of protein and fat to energy content (<i>shashlik</i>: 22.8% from protein, 68.3% from fat). Industrial chocolate and homemade cake presented the highest saturated (14.6 g/serving) and <i>trans</i>-fat (3.20 g/serving) contents. <b>Conclusion:</b> These findings advocate for the implementation of health promotion strategies targeted at vendors, consumers and other stakeholders.