KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From a spicy mango to a Philly cheese steak, you name it you can almost always find a truck in Kansas City selling it.
But how safe is it eating food from a truck?
FOX 4 Problem Solvers poured over dozens of health inspection reports and, quite frankly, food trucks had a better record than many restaurants. No case of food-borne illness has ever been linked to one, according to the Kansas City Health Department.
But food trucks can have issues.
One inspection report cited a truck after an inspector observed that no employees washed their hands during the entire inspection. Of course, even if employees had wanted to, they couldn’t. The hand washing sink was clogged.
Another truck had four critical violations, including a cappucino machine that was so rarely cleaned debris was building up on the inside.
So how do you know the truck you are eating from is under the Health Department’s watchful eye?
For starters, look for the permit sticker on the side of the truck. Every truck is required to have one and they must be in plain sight. They are renewed annually.
Then, check for a generator. Every truck needs one to run its heating and cooling system. Hot foods need to be kept above 135 degrees and cold food needs to be stored below 41 degrees.
And every truck needs three sinks. One for washing. One for rinsing and one for sanitizing.
Here’s another clue for spotting errant food trucks: a condiment serving station that’s outside of the truck. That’s illegal because it’s too easy for them to become contaminated. Even mustard and ketchup containers can’t be sitting outside.
Finally, the person selling you food, should not be the person making the food, unless they’re washing hands before and after handling cash.
To see the Health Department’s inspection results, click here.
