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Informal food vendors, the cart, stall and kiosk operators who sell prepared food outside formal retail, put affordable meals within reach of many urban households and give income to vendors and to the farmers and processors who supply them. The strongest published evidence describes these roles for specific regions and periods. It does not provide a current worldwide count of food vendors or their share of food sales, and this article does not offer one.
What informal food vendors do for cities
The clearest regional statement comes from a WHO/FAO meeting report on Asia, published 14 April 2022. It says informal out-of-home food retail in urban Southeast Asia contributes to food security by improving accessibility, and that street-food vending is an important employment source, particularly for low-income households. It also reports that a sizable proportion of the urban Asian population regularly eats out-of-home food. These findings describe urban Asia. They do not translate into a worldwide prevalence figure. (WHO/FAO Asia meeting report)
Access and affordability
FAO’s 2007 literature overview by Scott Simon frames the informal food sector as a potential source of affordable urban food and income for low-income households. Its case material spans Bangladesh, Chile, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, India, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Trinidad and Tobago. The paper is nearly two decades old, so its time-sensitive findings describe the period it covers rather than today’s markets. (FAO overview, 2007)
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FAO’s training course for street-food vendors in Africa describes street food as a source of meals for millions of low- and middle-income urban consumers and of income for millions of men and women in developing countries. It adds that street-food businesses can give urban and peri-urban agricultural producers and local processors an outlet. These are broad statements in a technical manual, not measured market estimates. (FAO training course)
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Counting the sector: what the statistics can and cannot say
Two kinds of figure circulate widely: the International Labour Organization’s count of informal workers, and older city-level counts of street-food stalls. Neither is a food-vendor statistic.
Informal employment in general
The ILO’s Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical picture, third edition (2018), reports 2 billion workers in informal employment, equal to 61.2 per cent of the world’s employed population. That figure covers informal work across all sectors, so it cannot show how many people sell food. (ILO, 2018) The ILO’s global statistics on informality page, dated 9 May 2025, organizes indicators on informality, groups at risk, working conditions, and household vulnerability. It does not establish a current count of food vendors. (ILO, 2025)
Historical city counts
FAO’s 2007 overview reproduces a city table, attributed to Aragrande and Argenti (2001), that lists about 130,000 street-food stalls in Calcutta in 1995. The same table includes entries for Santiago de Chile (1991), Guatemala City (1994), and Abidjan (1993/1995); figures for those entries are not stated here. Each number is tied to its own city and year, and none should be read as a current or representative figure. (FAO overview excerpt)
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Food safety: hazards, not stigma
FAO’s training course treats food safety as a set of conditions shaped by infrastructure and work practice. It identifies these hazards:
- poor storage of raw materials and finished food
- insufficient cleaning
- unsafe utensils
- inappropriate handling
- prolonged holding at unsuitable temperatures
- inadequate clean water
- poor waste disposal
- poor surroundings
- microbiological and other contamination
The manual points to hygiene practice, risk-based controls, training, and assistance for vendors and other stakeholders as ways to address them. None of this means every stall or dish is unsafe. The hazards describe pathways that can be controlled, and the same conditions can be present or absent at any vendor.
What a buyer can notice
Visual cues do not replace inspection, but each hazard above has an observable counterpart:
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- Locking Wheel Mobility System: Our mobile food display stand is built-in sturdy & lockable wheels and a metal push bar for smooth movement and secure stationary positioning,easily transport across sidewalks and plazas—perfect for busy commercial setups
- Large Display Space & Menu Hanging Handle : A large countertop provides ample space for product display. Features a high-capacity storage cabinet to discreetly store items and a side rod for hanging prominent menu signs, making it ideal for street food and beverage setups to enhance visibility and customer interaction
- Sturdy Metal Construction: Reinforced, rust-proof metal frame with non-slip surface. Weather-resistant and deformation-free, supports up to 400 lbs. It's a reliable food cart for vendors, pop-up shops and small business owners
- Portable Assembly Design: Pre drilled panels and equipped with screws can help you easily install under the guidance of the manual, without the need for additional tools.Any problems please feel free to message us for professional help.
| Hazard in FAO’s course | What a buyer may notice |
|---|---|
| Poor storage of raw and finished food | Food left uncovered or exposed to dust and insects |
| Insufficient cleaning | Dirty surfaces, cloths, or cutting boards reused without visible cleaning |
| Unsafe utensils | Chipped, cracked, or visibly worn utensils and containers |
| Inappropriate handling | Hands, money, and food contact without visible washing |
| Prolonged holding at unsuitable temperatures | Cooked or perishable food sitting out for long periods |
| Inadequate clean water | No visible water for washing hands or utensils nearby |
| Poor waste disposal | Overflowing waste close to the cooking or serving area |
| Poor surroundings | Drains, standing water, or animals close to the food area |
Holding temperature is the one hazard a buyer or vendor can check with a number. A probe thermometer can show whether food is being held at the temperature the vendor intends, but a reading covers only one part of safe handling.
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The 2022 WHO/FAO regional report calls for active engagement with the informal food sector to support the availability of safe and healthy options. WHO and FAO also published a street-food safety leaflet on 20 May 2022. Its landing page describes the leaflet’s purpose, and readers who need the specific guidance should consult the leaflet itself. (WHO/FAO street-food safety leaflet)
Diet quality: mixed and regional
What the Asia report says
WHO/FAO says some traditional foods and meals are healthy, but out-of-home foods are often of poor dietary quality and may contribute to unhealthy diets and a higher risk of noncommunicable diseases. That is the report’s finding for informal retail in Asia. It is not a verdict on every city, vendor, or cuisine. (WHO/FAO Asia meeting report)
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Why the data are thin
WHO’s FEEDcities protocol, published 19 April 2019, describes street food as a global phenomenon, more common in urbanized areas, and an important dietary source for low- and middle-income populations. It also states that studies of the types and composition of street food are scarce. Its proposed three-step city-level method examines vending places and products, purchasing patterns, and nutritional analysis of food samples. (WHO Europe, FEEDcities protocol)
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Why legal status matters
FAO’s 2007 overview identifies vendors’ lack of formal legal status as a barrier to improving hygiene and accessing credit. It describes municipal cooperation as a way to support employment, access to public space, and training, alongside licensing and hygiene regulation. (FAO overview, 2007)
A policy position worth reading closely
The FAO overview reproduces a statement attributed to G. Yasmeen through Macchi (2006):
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“…it is possible for the local state to both support and regulate this sector (…) it is not an ‘either/or’ situation and there are plenty of examples from around the world of local authorities finally accepting food micro-enterprises (and in fact embracing their existence) and facilitating their access to space and training, etc. while at the same time licensing vendors, regulating for hygiene, etc.”
The excerpt identifies the speaker only as G. Yasmeen and does not state a role. It is an attributed quotation reproduced in FAO’s text, not a direct interview. (FAO overview excerpt)
What WHO’s 2026 urban guidance proposes
WHO’s guidance on supporting healthy diets and safe foods in urban food environments, dated 1 July 2026, lists policy options including land-use planning and zoning, support for healthier food retail and markets, and improved access to fresh, nutritious foods. It is city-level guidance and does not establish that each measure is appropriate or in place everywhere. (WHO, 2026)
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There is no single global vendor model, so a fair comparison between cities should ask the same questions of each. The table below sets out five axes and the source each one draws on.
| Axis | What to record | Basis in the sources |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foods sold and access | Which products are sold, where, and at what price and access level | Products and locations follow the FEEDcities protocol; access follows the FAO overview |
| 2. Vendor work and status | Legal status, access to space, credit, and services | FAO overview, 2007 |
| 3. Hygiene infrastructure | Clean water, storage, handling, and waste practices | FAO training course |
| 4. Purchasing and diet | How people buy, and the dietary quality of what they eat | FEEDcities protocol; WHO/FAO Asia report |
| 5. Local rules | How support, training, licensing, and food-safety oversight are combined | FAO overview excerpt; WHO, 2026 |
Applied to a specific city, each axis needs its own date and geography, because the sources described here were produced in different years and regions.
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