Officials seize 7,000 pounds of potentially unsafe meat from Valley street vendors

PHOENIX – Valley officials are cracking down on certain street vendors after receiving dozens of reports of illnesses linked to a type of taco meat.

The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD), which oversees restaurant inspections in metro Phoenix, said Monday it completed 55 food seizures while investigating and addressing 111 complaints in May, June and July.

The agency confiscated over 7,000 pounds of potentially unsafe meat and shut down multiple unlicensed operations during that three-month span.

Unlicensed street vendors selling tacos el pastor blamed for illnesses

The targeted mobile vendors were selling tacos al pastor from temporary stands near sidewalks and in parking lots. The meat in that type of taco is shaved from a vertical rotisserie called a trompo.

Businesses that use trompos and are set up outdoors with temporary equipment probably don’t have permits, and the al pastor meat from those stands could be a source of foodborne illnesses, MCESD said.

The county agency noted that most street vendors employ safe food practices but cautioned against eating at unpermitted carts or stands.

Anyone who believes an illness is linked to a restaurant or street vendor is asked to call MCESD at 602-506-6616 or submit a report on the agency’s website.

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