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Street food vendors in Kingston say they are willing to cooperate with the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) to regulate their industry.

However, this is as long the KSAMC does not take away their livelihood.

Derrick, who's been selling fish soup and roasted fish on Spanish Town Road for more than 20 years, said he has no choice but to accept whatever the KSAMC decides.

"Anything weh come wi haffi abide by, wi a guh abide by the justice; so anything dem seh, a just suh it go. When dem come to wi, wi ready," he said.

Derrick said he cooks food in a nearby restaurant and then takes it to the street to sell. But he says there are days where he also prepares his food on the street.

Winston, who sells soup on a street corner on Fifth Street, Trench Town, told T he STAR that he has been selling his chicken foot and cow skin soup for the past 10 years.

He said that he tries to practise good sanitation when cooking his food on the street.

"Mi on the street, and mi believe you can see weh mi a duh. If something drop, mi nah fi tek it up, mi just kick it away, cuz anything weh go pan ground, mi nuh put in inna food," he said

For Ann Marie, who cooks and sells out of her home in the Corporate Area, the issue of sanitation among street food vendors is an issue she believes the KSAMC needs to address.

"Yuh fi have running water inna yuh place, yuh fi cook it inna clean place; no weh dat running water nuh deh, food nuh fi a cook deh. Yuh fi have running water a wash yuh things dem clean," she said.

However, she said the KSAMC should be mindful that street food vending is also the only source of income for a lot of Jamaicans. "Everybody wah eat dem likkle food, so dem come out, out pan dem side and a duh dem little thing," she said.

Duane Smith, commercial services committee chairman at the KSAMC, said the KSAMC will be moving to address the widespread unregulated food vending practices that are taking root across the city.

"We are looking at several public health and public order issues that have been brought to our attention. With the spreading of several communicable diseases and being in a very active influenza season, we are moving to put measures in place to regulate the emerging market across the city," Smith said.

"Many of these persons do not have food handler's permits; they do not follow best practices; and the source of their food supplies and meats have raised concerns," he said.