Highlights

• Chemical/toxicological hazards in street foods have been neglected until now.

• Chemical hazards can originate from raw materials through to processing.

• Relevant examples are illegal residues, metals from cookware, PAHs and acrylamide

• Specific points of attention and hazard-tailored preventive measures are proposed.

Abstract

Street food vending represents an important food security strategy for low-income communities worldwide. However, no comprehensive risk analysis framework yet exists as regards specific aspects of chemical/toxicological hazards in street foods. Indeed, all steps of street food production and vending can be vulnerable, from the selection of raw materials, through to the storage and preparation of meals and even the vending site, often exposed to urban pollutants. Relevant examples are cheap ingredients with illegal or undesirable residues, substances arising in poorly stored commodities (e.g., mycotoxins, histamine in scombroid fish), metals leaching from cookware, and process contaminants such as PAHs and acrylamide. As a consequence, greater awareness and preventive measures need to be implemented for coping with chemical/toxicological risk factors in a systematic and effective way. This review proposes specific points of attention for street foods preparation and vending with related hazard-tailored actions. The proposed measures in street food vending could integrate the prevention of biological risk factors, in order to promote comprehensive and up-to-date consumer safety.