If Street Food Disappears in Bangkok
Bangkok is renowned for its street food, but since 2014 the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has embarked in the removal of tens of thousands of street vendors, including a significant number of street food vendors. Our study focuses on the role of street food as a source of affordable and convenient meals for Bangkok residents. Two surveys were conducted: (a) a consumer survey to determine frequency of street food consumption, and (b) a price survey to determine the price differential between street food and non-street food. The results of the two surveys were combined to project the difference in food expenditure for an individual consumer in the absence of street food, according to income levels. Our findings confirm that, regardless of their income level, Bangkok residents consume street food on a regular basis and, therefore, the extra expenditure they would incur in its absence could have a detrimental impact on their expenditure and consumption pattern, particularly in the case of low-income households.
Reading Development 