Graduate degree in Sociology (2004) and Ph.D. in Urban Studies (2008). Eight years of research on urban food systems in Sub Saharan Africa (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015-20) and Latin America (University of Milan Bicocca, 2011-13). Design and management of FAO project to develop nutrition sensitive urban food systems in Ghana and Tanzania ( 2018-20). Principal author of FAO reports on urban food systems, food security and nutrition in West Africa (2017). Full command of mixed qualitative-quantitative research methods: Ethnography, GIS based data collection, statistical and spatiotemporal data analysis, policy analysis. Proficient in SPSS. Fluent in English and working knowledge of French and Spanish.
Street food trade plays an important role in contemporary urban areas in South America. It repre... more Street food trade plays an important role in contemporary urban areas in South America. It represents a viable employment opportunity for vulnerable groups and ensures food access for a large part of middle and low income working classes. Nonetheless, food safety is often at risk and widespread informality undermines the development and legitimacy of the sector. Street food stands at the crossroads where three equally fundamental rights meet: the individual right to work, the collective right to access and use public spaces, and the right to food security – a crossroads where risks of clashes are lurking, and issues of priority arise. How do policy-makers face this tangled phenomenon? What drives their policy-making? How do legal frameworks shape street food vending?
The author analyzes the legislation regulating the trade of street food enacted by local administrations in six major South American capital cities: Buenos Aires, Bogota, La Paz, Lima, Montevideo, and Santiago. By comparing them, the author explores how each city’s history, socio-demographic composition, economic and productive structure, and political tradition shape the approach of authorities towards street food, and how and to what extent legislations enacted shape the sector.
Despite the differences, all legislations analyzed share three elements: first of all, a pauperistic notion of street trade as a marginal, possibly temporary economic sector suiting poor people only, especially in the emergency of economic crisis. Secondly, an exclusive tendency banning vendors from the city centers, coupled with the general limitation to deploy which inherently characterizes street vending. Finally a hygienistic approach aimed at ensuring food safety through vendors’ sterilization only, neglecting the role of consumers’ awareness and habits, and seldom envisaging the provision of services and infrastructure where vending takes place.
Presentazione: Il presente articolo mira a definire, sul piano teorico, chi sia il" rifugiat... more Presentazione: Il presente articolo mira a definire, sul piano teorico, chi sia il" rifugiato" in termini propriamente sociologici da una prospettiva che affronta la questione nel solco della teoria dell'etichettamento (labelling), così come è stata tracciata da Zetter (1991; 2007). ...
... Giorgia Serughetti è dottoranda in Studi culturali presso l'Università di Palermo ..... more ... Giorgia Serughetti è dottoranda in Studi culturali presso l'Università di Palermo ... difficile il riconoscimento dello status di rifugiato politico, si impedisce così all'apolide di ottenere una nuova nazionalità e di essere a pieno titolo inserito nella nuova realtà politi-ca, socioeconomica ...
Prepared foods, for sale in streets, squares or markets, are ubiquitous around the world and thro... more Prepared foods, for sale in streets, squares or markets, are ubiquitous around the world and throughout history. This volume is one of the first to provide a comprehensive social science perspective on street food, illustrating its immense cultural diversity and economic significance, both in developing and developed countries.
Key issues addressed include: policy, regulation and governance of street food and vendors; production and trade patterns ranging from informal subsistence to modern forms of enterprise; the key role played by female vendors; historical roots and cultural meanings of selling and eating food in the street; food safety and nutrition issues. Many chapters provide case studies from specific cities in different regions of the world. These include North America (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver), Central and South America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago, Salvador da Bahia), Asia (Bangkok, Dhaka, Penang), Africa (Accra, Abidjan, Bamako, Freetown, Mozambique) and Europe (Amsterdam).
In Africa, street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half dec... more In Africa, street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half decades. African national and local authorities, and international organizations agree on the nutritional, economic, social and cultural importance of street food, but they are also aware of the critical safety, nutritional, management issues associated to it. FAO Regional Office for Africa, in 2016, led an extensive field survey on street food vending within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in collaboration with the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana. The survey was aimed at gathering updated and policyrelevant information about the sector (e.g. location and type of street food outlets, variety of foods sold, hygienic and safety conditions under which they are prepared, legal status of vendors, economic dimension of the sector) enabling public authorities as well as street food vendors and consumers to take informed and data-driven action towards the development of the sector. The outcomes of the survey are presented in this report.
In Africa street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half deca... more In Africa street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half decades, especially in urban areas. People who face barriers to the formal wage labor market find in street food vending a viable income option, as it requires little start-up capital and no formal education. In the meantime, the increased commuting distances and faster living pace in developing cities turn street food into the best option among the growing urban low and middle working classes looking for inexpensive, quick and nutritious food out of the house. Despite its nutritional, economic, social and cultural importance, street food in Africa is undermined by food safety issues, poor nutritional variety, widespread informality of vendors , and policy gaps. Major findings provided by literature throughout the last two and a half decades are analyzed, along with the recommendations that the authors made to key stakeholders to improve street food safety and nutrition quality, as well as vendors’ livelihoods and working conditions.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Dakar, Senegal. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Accra, Ghana. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Lagos, Nigeria. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
An extensive, udated review of academic and grey literature on street food vending, consumption, ... more An extensive, udated review of academic and grey literature on street food vending, consumption, and related policies and regulations in Tanzania.
Street food trade plays an important role in contemporary urban areas in South America. It repre... more Street food trade plays an important role in contemporary urban areas in South America. It represents a viable employment opportunity for vulnerable groups and ensures food access for a large part of middle and low income working classes. Nonetheless, food safety is often at risk and widespread informality undermines the development and legitimacy of the sector. Street food stands at the crossroads where three equally fundamental rights meet: the individual right to work, the collective right to access and use public spaces, and the right to food security – a crossroads where risks of clashes are lurking, and issues of priority arise. How do policy-makers face this tangled phenomenon? What drives their policy-making? How do legal frameworks shape street food vending?
The author analyzes the legislation regulating the trade of street food enacted by local administrations in six major South American capital cities: Buenos Aires, Bogota, La Paz, Lima, Montevideo, and Santiago. By comparing them, the author explores how each city’s history, socio-demographic composition, economic and productive structure, and political tradition shape the approach of authorities towards street food, and how and to what extent legislations enacted shape the sector.
Despite the differences, all legislations analyzed share three elements: first of all, a pauperistic notion of street trade as a marginal, possibly temporary economic sector suiting poor people only, especially in the emergency of economic crisis. Secondly, an exclusive tendency banning vendors from the city centers, coupled with the general limitation to deploy which inherently characterizes street vending. Finally a hygienistic approach aimed at ensuring food safety through vendors’ sterilization only, neglecting the role of consumers’ awareness and habits, and seldom envisaging the provision of services and infrastructure where vending takes place.
Presentazione: Il presente articolo mira a definire, sul piano teorico, chi sia il" rifugiat... more Presentazione: Il presente articolo mira a definire, sul piano teorico, chi sia il" rifugiato" in termini propriamente sociologici da una prospettiva che affronta la questione nel solco della teoria dell'etichettamento (labelling), così come è stata tracciata da Zetter (1991; 2007). ...
... Giorgia Serughetti è dottoranda in Studi culturali presso l'Università di Palermo ..... more ... Giorgia Serughetti è dottoranda in Studi culturali presso l'Università di Palermo ... difficile il riconoscimento dello status di rifugiato politico, si impedisce così all'apolide di ottenere una nuova nazionalità e di essere a pieno titolo inserito nella nuova realtà politi-ca, socioeconomica ...
Prepared foods, for sale in streets, squares or markets, are ubiquitous around the world and thro... more Prepared foods, for sale in streets, squares or markets, are ubiquitous around the world and throughout history. This volume is one of the first to provide a comprehensive social science perspective on street food, illustrating its immense cultural diversity and economic significance, both in developing and developed countries.
Key issues addressed include: policy, regulation and governance of street food and vendors; production and trade patterns ranging from informal subsistence to modern forms of enterprise; the key role played by female vendors; historical roots and cultural meanings of selling and eating food in the street; food safety and nutrition issues. Many chapters provide case studies from specific cities in different regions of the world. These include North America (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver), Central and South America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago, Salvador da Bahia), Asia (Bangkok, Dhaka, Penang), Africa (Accra, Abidjan, Bamako, Freetown, Mozambique) and Europe (Amsterdam).
In Africa, street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half dec... more In Africa, street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half decades. African national and local authorities, and international organizations agree on the nutritional, economic, social and cultural importance of street food, but they are also aware of the critical safety, nutritional, management issues associated to it. FAO Regional Office for Africa, in 2016, led an extensive field survey on street food vending within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in collaboration with the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana. The survey was aimed at gathering updated and policyrelevant information about the sector (e.g. location and type of street food outlets, variety of foods sold, hygienic and safety conditions under which they are prepared, legal status of vendors, economic dimension of the sector) enabling public authorities as well as street food vendors and consumers to take informed and data-driven action towards the development of the sector. The outcomes of the survey are presented in this report.
In Africa street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half deca... more In Africa street food vending and consumption have proliferated in the last three and a half decades, especially in urban areas. People who face barriers to the formal wage labor market find in street food vending a viable income option, as it requires little start-up capital and no formal education. In the meantime, the increased commuting distances and faster living pace in developing cities turn street food into the best option among the growing urban low and middle working classes looking for inexpensive, quick and nutritious food out of the house. Despite its nutritional, economic, social and cultural importance, street food in Africa is undermined by food safety issues, poor nutritional variety, widespread informality of vendors , and policy gaps. Major findings provided by literature throughout the last two and a half decades are analyzed, along with the recommendations that the authors made to key stakeholders to improve street food safety and nutrition quality, as well as vendors’ livelihoods and working conditions.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Dakar, Senegal. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Accra, Ghana. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems ... more Extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2005 and 2016 on food systems in Lagos, Nigeria. The report present the latest findings and recommendations in order to provide all the stakeholders involved from food production to processing and distribution, catering, and policy making, updated, relevant, scientific reference to support their actions towards the development of food se-curity and nutrition of city dwellers.
An extensive, udated review of academic and grey literature on street food vending, consumption, ... more An extensive, udated review of academic and grey literature on street food vending, consumption, and related policies and regulations in Tanzania.
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Articles by Stefano Marras
The author analyzes the legislation regulating the trade of street food enacted by local administrations in six major South American capital cities: Buenos Aires, Bogota, La Paz, Lima, Montevideo, and Santiago. By comparing them, the author explores how each city’s history, socio-demographic composition, economic and productive structure, and political tradition shape the approach of authorities towards street food, and how and to what extent legislations enacted shape the sector.
Despite the differences, all legislations analyzed share three elements: first of all, a pauperistic notion of street trade as a marginal, possibly temporary economic sector suiting poor people only, especially in the emergency of economic crisis. Secondly, an exclusive tendency banning vendors from the city centers, coupled with the general limitation to deploy which inherently characterizes street vending. Finally a hygienistic approach aimed at ensuring food safety through vendors’ sterilization only, neglecting the role of consumers’ awareness and habits, and seldom envisaging the provision of services and infrastructure where vending takes place.
Books by Stefano Marras
Key issues addressed include: policy, regulation and governance of street food and vendors; production and trade patterns ranging from informal subsistence to modern forms of enterprise; the key role played by female vendors; historical roots and cultural meanings of selling and eating food in the street; food safety and nutrition issues. Many chapters provide case studies from specific cities in different regions of the world. These include North America (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver), Central and South America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago, Salvador da Bahia), Asia (Bangkok, Dhaka, Penang), Africa (Accra, Abidjan, Bamako, Freetown, Mozambique) and Europe (Amsterdam).
Papers by Stefano Marras
Drafts by Stefano Marras
The author analyzes the legislation regulating the trade of street food enacted by local administrations in six major South American capital cities: Buenos Aires, Bogota, La Paz, Lima, Montevideo, and Santiago. By comparing them, the author explores how each city’s history, socio-demographic composition, economic and productive structure, and political tradition shape the approach of authorities towards street food, and how and to what extent legislations enacted shape the sector.
Despite the differences, all legislations analyzed share three elements: first of all, a pauperistic notion of street trade as a marginal, possibly temporary economic sector suiting poor people only, especially in the emergency of economic crisis. Secondly, an exclusive tendency banning vendors from the city centers, coupled with the general limitation to deploy which inherently characterizes street vending. Finally a hygienistic approach aimed at ensuring food safety through vendors’ sterilization only, neglecting the role of consumers’ awareness and habits, and seldom envisaging the provision of services and infrastructure where vending takes place.
Key issues addressed include: policy, regulation and governance of street food and vendors; production and trade patterns ranging from informal subsistence to modern forms of enterprise; the key role played by female vendors; historical roots and cultural meanings of selling and eating food in the street; food safety and nutrition issues. Many chapters provide case studies from specific cities in different regions of the world. These include North America (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver), Central and South America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago, Salvador da Bahia), Asia (Bangkok, Dhaka, Penang), Africa (Accra, Abidjan, Bamako, Freetown, Mozambique) and Europe (Amsterdam).