Abstract

This survey-based study evaluates the effect of three factors (market location, kind of stall facilities and presence of intermediaries) on the hygienic-sanitary quality of markets, which could condition the food risk of the artisanal cheeses sold in them. As street vending in the Canaries archipelago is important tocommercialise traditional reference products, thisstudy compares the hygienic-sanitary conditions of stalls in several street markets on the Gran CanariaIsland by taking artisanal cheese as a reference product. The results show that the markets in coastal areas obtain a higher food sellers score than those in inland areas. Presence of permanent stalls allows the hygienic-sanitary criteria set out by law on street sales to be better applied than markets with temporary stalls. The former obtain much higher scores than the latter. Finally, presence of intermediaries made the survey scores drastically lower, but theywere higher when producers ranstalls. Facilitating the staff in this sector access to specialised training is fundamental. This is the main problem faced in such businesses, followed by asking competent authorities to collaborate more to ensure that current legislation is met, and to protect and improve traditional sales as their importance in society and today’s economy in many regions is vital.