Here is what the page “Informal Food Vendors: The Invisible Backbone Feeding Over a Billion People” contains. In cities and towns across low- and middle-income countries, informal food vendors—from fried fish cart sellers to bicycle vegetable hawkers—are not a fringe part of the food system; Globally, food systems employ an estimated 1.23 billion people, and the majority of those jobs are informal, meaning unlicensed, unregistered, or outside formal regulation. These vendors are a linchpin of food security and livelihoods for over a billion people, often serving as the only source of a hot meal within walking distance.
Their work matters because they provide affordable, accessible food in areas where formal retail is scarce, and they create income opportunities with low barriers to entry. Yet their informal status leaves them vulnerable to harassment, eviction, and exclusion from social protections. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.