If you want to keep living your best food truck foodie life, all you really need to
do is be observant.
The next time you get in line at a mobile eatery, look for the following signs of a
subpar food truck situation.
First things first — if you have a bad feeling about a food truck when you approach it, there's
a super-simple way to tell if they've got their stuff together — ask to see their
license.
According to CNN, all food trucks are required by law to have one of those bad boys in hand
before hitting the road.
Chances are if they don't have one — and are therefore operating illegally — they're
not going to stress over things like food safety regulations either.
And while asking to see a food truck's license probably isn't common practice, it's a right
you shouldn't be ashamed to exercise.
A food safety expert at the Center for the Science in Public Interest told CNN in 2013,
"You can actually ask to see the license.
If they can't produce it, find another place to eat and call the local health department."
Would it be unfortunate if your favorite local food truck couldn't come up with anything
but excuses when asked for a license?
Sure.
But you know what would be even more unfortunate?
Winding up with food poisoning after scarfing down a dish prepared in unsanitary conditions.
Because meat comes from animals that carry bacteria, the proper handling and storage
of meats on a food truck is especially important.
Food trucks that fail to take a few precautions are setting themselves up for cross-contamination
and, worse, sending customers away with foodborne illness.
During a routine food truck inspection in Butler County Ohio in 2016, the inspector
found an area food truck had committed a critical violation — storing raw chicken above raw
beef.
According to the Journal-News, the inspector explained that when stored in a cooling unit,
"[The food truck should have stored] raw animal products in order of their required cooking
temperatures to prevent contamination."
What does this mean for you?
Well, if you're planning to indulge your carnivorous tendencies at a local food truck, you'll need
to keep your eyes peeled.
If you notice raw chicken stored above raw beef — or any raw meat mingling with anything
else, for that matter — do your stomach a favor and grab lunch from another mobile
eatery.
"You don't want to get food poisoning."
Temperature has a ton to do with food safety — this can't be underscored enough.
The CDC mandates very specific temperature monitoring requirements for some foods, due
to the fact that these foods are more associated with foodborne illnesses and incidences of
food poisoning than other foods.
Mobile-Cuisine, the digital food-truck bible, describes monitoring proper food temperature
in a food truck as a "constant process."
Accordingly, they recommend that food trucks have several good thermometers on hand for
staff to use while preparing food.
So, there's something you, the consumer, can look for.
As you're waiting in line for your food truck order, even one glimpse of a food thermometer
should help put your mind at ease.
Aside from that, though, determining if food temperature monitoring protocol has been followed
could be more tangible — even if it's less exact.
You'll be able to tell simply by touching your food.
The director of public health for Los Angeles County told CNN in 2013,
"Temperature problems are one of the most common violations in food trucks."
Besides, food that isn't served at its correct temperature isn't going to taste as good.
A cold grilled cheese?
No thank you.
In 2016, the Journal-News launched an investigation.
After combing over food truck inspection reports for a year, they found, quote, "no serious,
chronic violations or illnesses" that health officials could trace back to food truck fare.
However, they did turn up isolated incidents of undesirable conditions inside food trucks.
One of the repeat issues that turned up?
Temperature regulation.
This is problematic for a few reasons.
Some foods are more prone to causing foodborne illnesses than others and, per the Center
for Disease Control, need to be refrigerated at 40-degrees or colder to minimize the risk
of issues with salmonella and other bacteria.
Plus, food trucks are basically big metal boxes, often parked on hot blacktop.
If it's hot outside, you can bet that truck's A/C is working overtime to keep the truck
cool — and there's a good chance it's losing the battle.
So, if you decide to eat at a food truck on a sweltering day, glance inside at the countertops
to make sure food isn't sitting out and overheating.
The fact that any food service workers should wear gloves seems self-explanatory.
Yet, even food truck operators have admitted to not using gloves while preparing food — one
such food truck owner told Mobile-Cuisine that they had received health inspection violations
because his line cook was seen buttering a sandwich and preparing other food with bare
hands.
Not surprisingly, Mobile-Cuisine lays out a solid argument for why food truck employees
should be trained in proper glove use.
The LA Times looked into health truck safety in 2016, pointing to specific issues involving
gloves — or the lack thereof.
In March, they revealed, a popular food truck by the name of Tacos Ariza had earned a less-than-stellar
"C" on their health inspection.
Why?
Health inspectors cited 16 violations, including three major infractions — with at least
one related to employees not using gloves properly.
It's worth noting, though, that the FDA apparently only requires a "barrier" between food truck
workers and the food they are preparing.
Sure, this could be gloves.
But it could also be baking paper or even utensils — so a lack of gloves doesn't automatically
mean rules are being broken.
But the bottom line is: there shouldn't be a bunch of bare-hand-on-food action going
on in any given food truck.
If there is, find another place for lunch.
Let's be real; no one wants to stroll up to a food truck with a funky odor.
"Hey your food stinks, people don't want it!"
If the food truck smells like anything other than food, it should make you wonder why.
A spoiled milk smell probably means that the food truck has refrigeration issues, or that
they aren't taking the proper measures to store dairy products in the refrigerator between
uses.
As for a garbage odor, look around.
Do you see a trash can near the food truck?
Is it overflowing?
A food truck should be able to stay on top of solid waste to a degree that garbage doesn't
become a smelly issue.
If you approach a food truck with an overflowing bin, you should ask yourself if they're really
taking it out as often as they should be.
And if they're not doing that, what else are they slacking on?
It's easy to take for granted the comfort that comes with seeing a big, shiny "A" plastered
on the wall or in the window of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
That single letter lets us know that the restaurant is doing everything it needs to do to impress
health officials.
And while it would be a logical way to gauge food truck safety too, not all states require
food trucks to display health inspection grades.
CNN claims that, quote, "only a handful of places" mandate as much.
Still, this practice seems to be trending upward in the food truck world.
New York rolled out food truck grades in January 2019, explaining to ABC 7,
"Now customers will be able to see, before deciding to eat at a food cart, how it performed
at its health inspection."
"I know I never ate from a cart because I didn't know the cleanliness of the cart."
Wondering what grade you should shoot for when choosing a food truck?
If you ask one food-safety expert at the Center for the Science in the Public Interest, anything
less than an A isn't good enough.
She explained to CNN in 2016,
"I'd feel uneasy about eating at a truck with a B grade because it could have violations
like not keeping food at the right temperature or having no soap.
And I would never eat at a truck with a C because that's close to being shut down."
Since not all states require food trucks to display their health inspection grades, sometimes
you have to slide into the role of health inspector.
And one red flag to look for is uncontained hair.
One food inspector and restaurant trainer told ABC 7 some questions to ask when sizing
up a food truck, including,
"What is the hygiene of the employees like?
Are they wearing a hair net?"
If you see long hair that's dangling down — scope out a different lunch spot.
In fact, per the New York City health department, food truck employees should always keep their
hair kempt and covered.
The rules state,
"You must wear a hair cover that hides your hair completely, for example: a hat, scarf
or hairnet."
Employees should also wash their hands anytime they touch their hair.
All it takes is one hair in your food to ruin your perspective of a particular food truck
altogether.
If you avoid trucks that seem to ignore the rules of hair protocol, you should be able
to also avoid pulling a long hair out of your mouth.
As a general rule of thumb, you don't want to see bugs inside of any establishment serving
you food.
There's a caveat when it comes to food trucks, though, since edible insects are apparently
growing in popularity.
In 2011, a Denver Post contributor described a food truck in San Francisco called "Don
Bugito" that serves things like tacos made with fried wax-moth larvae.
In 2015, NBC News chronicled the plight of a food truck on UConn's campus selling crispy
roasted crickets for 99 cents.
"Every aspect of owning a food truck is fun.
Fun, fun, fun!"
But unless they're being served up as part of the menu, bugs have no place in a food
truck.
Mobile-Cuisine files the presence of creepy crawlers under situations that could close
a food truck.
The online bible for mobile eateries says,
"Nothing can get people talking negatively about your food truck more quickly than the
presence of bugs.
The mention of a roach in an online review can prevent people from taking the time to
track your vehicle to your next stop and quickly alert local public health officials.
This could result in a potential closure."
Mobile-Cuisine urges food truck owners to have a pest control company inspect their
truck semi-annually to prevent any potential infestations.
So, if you happen to be - paranoid about insects winding up in your food, you could always
go the extra mile and ask a food truck when their last inspection took place.
Plain and simple, bad food is a pretty solid indicator of a bad food truck.
That's not to say that everyone doesn't have off days.
Food trucks, like restaurants, operate under high-stress conditions.
"That was the most stressful thing I've ever gone through.
And I was wrongfully imprisoned last year."
But unlike brick-and-mortar restaurants, the people cooking your food in a food truck are
often churning out meals left and right from a super-tight space.
Mistakes are bound to happen on occasion.
And, yes, taste is subjective.
You might think a dish tastes totally off while the person next to you thinks your taste
buds are off.
There's certainly room for both error and interpretation when it comes to the quality
of food truck fare.
But if a food truck has an abundance of bad reviews, bad word-of-mouth, or you go with
a group and the food leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth, it's probably better just
to move right along.
"I have a confession to make.
The food truck is kind of stressing me out."
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