7 Tips to Make Sure Your Street Food Is Safe

You just got out of a cab in New York City and you haven’t eaten in eight hours. But your interview is in less than 30 minutes. Nearby are some vendors selling falafels, burritos and noodle soup.Right now, street food seems like your only option. The tantalizing smells waft toward you … and then you remember the horror story of your brother getting an E. coli infection from street food in Chicago. What do you do?

Here are seven things to look for before buying street food.

1 If the stall looks visibly dirty, stay away.

This may be an obvious one, but sometimes we don’t check the nooks and crannies of a truck or stall when ordering food. If there’s dust or dirt anywhere near the food, that’s how you know to steer clear.

2 Make sure the food you’re getting is being made to order.

Food that’s been prepared ahead of time is more likely to have collected bacteria, and you can’t be sure when it was prepared. Foods that need refrigeration should not be sitting out in room temperature air either.

3 Watch the temperature and size of meat pieces.

Meats from street vendors should be cooked through completely. If it’s too hot to eat right away, that’s a good sign. Remember that smaller pieces of meat cook through faster, so they’re safer than huge slabs of meat.

4 Ingredients should be stored separately.

For example, the meats shouldn’t be in the same bowl as the veggies. Bacteria from raw food can easily contaminate cooked food, or vise versa. The safest layouts are those that have all of the different foods in separate containers.

5 Look for small portions of food.

If it’s a stall with tons and tons of food, it’s unrealistic to think the vendor would be able to manage all of it safely. Better to buy food from a vendor that specializes in a certain dish.

6 The vendor should be using gloves.

If not, you should be able to see them thoroughly wash their hands before touching the food. The vendor also should not handle money and then food with the same hands.

7 If it’s popular, it’s probably safe.

If there’s a long line, or the stall has been recommended or rated highly, it’s less likely that it’ll make you sick. See if the truck or stall has an online presence, and from there you can see if it’s been reviewed.

Hope this helps you street food-lovers out there. If ever in doubt, don’t buy it. Better safe than sick.