Table 1 Thematic analysis of data

… When you put vegetables, they do not eat

Low consumption of fruits and vegetables

Individual barriers

Barriers to the implementation, uptake and scaling up of the healthy plate model

…Sometime the issue is not vendors’ capital, it all depends on consumer’s food preference

…. The interest of food vendors is to maximize profit rather than safety and quality

….. Low capital lead food vendors to buy cheap foods and unsafe cooking oil

……..Fruits are expensive and normally are sold separately, thus those with high income can afford buying them

……Due to food preference, some consumers say the food is meat not vegetables

…..Vegetables are eaten by poor people

…Due to low awareness of balanced diet, the desire is stomach get full

….I am from Changha tribe, I have never seen my grandfather eating vegetables

….Due to low capital the vendors get cooking materials on credits and pay the shops owners after selling

….We are ready to offer the required food groups provided they are needed by customers

Food vendor’s readiness to provide health plate

…Demand or preference always shape the supply

……With your small amount of money, you are given the food according to your money with less vegetable or not at all

…The capital of vendors is low, the government should provide loans specific for vendors

…..…Vendors tend to grade their customers according to their income i.e. those with low, middle and high income then they prepare the food based on the level of consumers’ income

….Some vegetables are irrigated with water from sewage systems and factories, thus people who are aware of production environment are discouraged to consume vegetables

Unsafe Environment for production of Vegetables

Food production and preparation environment barriers

…..The vegetables that are being grown, along the main road are polluted with vehicle smoke and dust

…..Some of the vegetables and fruits growers spray insecticides and harvest within a short time and take them to the markets

….Price of fruits will depend on seasons and distance from the sources

Vegetables price variation

…..Vegetables irrigated with water from valleys rivers are cheap while those irrigated with tape water are expensive

…..You can’t compare the prices of healthy and normal plate, obvious, the former is expensive

…. Most of the time they are oily food and poor-quality oil

Poor quality of preparation of fruits and vegetables

….….Consumers may fail to consume vegetables because they do not trust the production and preparation environment

…. Food quality starts from production, and transportation to processing

….Sometimes water used to wash vegetables/fruits before cooking is unsafe

….You find some cooked vegetables have sands not fit for eating

…..The regulations should start with food vendors that the food provided should be balanced diet

Absence of guidelines and regulations on the amount and types of food groups to be served/meal

Strategic policy barriers

…..Food vendors are not registered and are emerging everyday thus it is hard to regulate them and organizing them for training

…. the focus of regulatory bodies is on food safety and not on the amount of food groups served and consumed by customers

… In absence of guidelines it is difficult to implement food quality measures

……The government should prevent people from cultivating vegetables in contaminated areas

….Instituting an healthy plate is policy issue