Food - Drink
12 Red Flags That Indicate You Shouldn't Visit That Food Truck
By JENNY LATREILLE
Using Gloves Wrong
To avoid one red flag for food trucks, look and see if the staff is wearing gloves. The person taking your order is often a cook as well, and all staff should wear gloves when handling food that's not wrapped up, so if there are no gloves in sight or you see cooks handling raw meat, then digging into some lettuce, don't eat there.
Meat Storage
One of the biggest culprits for foodborne illness is raw animal protein, so make sure you don’t see piles of raw meat sitting out in the truck's kitchen. Raw meat should be stored in the fridge in sealed, leak-proof containers, and if you see different types of raw meat touching each other, the food could be cross-contaminated.
Unappetizing Smells
If the first thing you notice at a food truck is an unpleasant smell, such as garbage, rotten meat, or funky dairy, then you should avoid it. If the smell is coming from inside the truck, it could mean that the refrigerator isn't working properly and food is spoiling, or that equipment has not been properly cleaned.
Ingredients Left Out
Dairy and eggs must be refrigerated to prevent spoilage, so watch the employees cook for a while and see if they leave bowls of dairy products or cracked eggs sitting out. It’s hard to figure out how old a food truck’s stock is, but if you suspect something has been out for over 2 hours, avoid it.
Wrong Temperatures
Meals need to be made and served at the proper temperature, so if you get a salad that isn’t crisp and cool, it’s a sign the food truck may not be so good. Temperature control can be difficult on hot days, so if you see the vendor using a food thermometer, you can feel more secure knowing they're keeping an eye on it.