Summer is the perfect time to get outside and explore the 700+ incredible food trucks and other mobile food businesses serving cuisines from around the world to King County communities. Whether you’re buying a hot dog from a cart before a game or tacos from your favorite truck, we want you to be confident that the vendor is following proper food safety practices.
The best way to protect yourself from foodborne illnesses when you’re eating out is to only buy food from businesses that have a food safety rating sign – the green smiley face signs (see below image for an example of a sign). These signs mean that a business has a Public Health food permit, which is an important step in the process to make sure a business is safely serving food.
What are unpermitted food vendor businesses?
There are more than 12,000 food businesses in King County that have a food business permit, meaning they follow Public Health’s food safety rules to protect people from foodborne illness.
However, we’ve recently seen an increase in the number of food trucks and other mobile food vendors (like carts and stands) selling food without getting a Public Health food permit. Food vendors that don’t have a Public Health permit not only put people’s health at risk – they also unfairly compete with the thousands of businesses that have worked hard to follow food safety rules.
Why does it matter if a vendor has a food permit?
During the food permitting process, Public Health makes sure a business is following safe food handling practices – like making sure staff can wash their hands and food is kept at proper temperatures. This helps prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses like salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus.
Unpermitted vendors haven’t undergone regular Public Health inspections and trainings, which are important for reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Even fresh fruit can spread foodborne illness if not handled safely – for instance, if it’s not adequately washed or refrigerated, or if vendors touch it with their bare hands without proper handwashing.
While anyone can get a foodborne illness, and symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting are never pleasant, foodborne illnesses can be particularly risky for some groups. Children under 5 years of age, people who are pregnant, adults ages 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to get very sick from food poisoning and potentially require hospitalization.
How do I know if a vendor has a food permit?
Check if they have a food safety rating sign from Public Health!
Earlier this year, Public Health expanded the food safety rating system (the green smiley face signs) to additional businesses. Now, all permitted food businesses in King County – from restaurants to food trucks – should have a food safety rating sign from Public Health displayed for customers.
Learn more to protect you and your family from foodborne illness
If you’re interested in learning more about the food safety rating system and the safety practices of specific food businesses, you can:
- Explore how the food safety rating system works on our Food safety rating system webpage.
- Check our database of past inspections. Search the restaurant safety ratings database for individual vendors. If the business does not appear on this site, it’s a sign that the business is operating without a Public Health permit.
- Check recent food business closures and subscribe to get updates about new closures on our food establishment closures webpage.
- Check recent foodborne illness outbreak investigations and subscribe to get updates by email or text on our foodborne illness outbreak webpage.
- Submit a question, comment, or complaint online if you see a food vendor who you believe isn’t following proper health protocols on our complaint webpage.
Remember that food safety is also very important in your home! If you’d like to learn more about ways to keep you, your family, and your friends safe from foodborne illness at home, see key tips on our webpage: Food safety in your home kitchen.
What is Public Health doing to protect people and help food vendors get permits?
The Food Safety Program’s goal is to help prevent the spread of foodborne illness. When Public Health is alerted to an unpermitted vendor, we visit to educate the vendor about the permitting process and suspend the vendor’s operations to prevent the risk to the public.
Some of the other steps we’re taking to help vendors get permitted include:
- Providing more options for food vendors to get help with permits (in-language assistance is available). Vendors can schedule one-on-one help over the phone (call 206-263-9566 or 206-477-8050). Vendors can also attend an in-person help session (learn more on our food business permits webpage).
- Partnering with community organizations for outreach. We’re providing funding to several community-based organizations to help vendors navigate the permitting process with culturally and linguistically relevant strategies.
- Increasing accessibility and access to resources. We offer interpretation in all languages. We also have developed a commissary kitchen dashboard to help people looking to get into mobile food vending find a commissary kitchen.
This blog was originally published on May 21, 2025.