Large food courts — in malls, airports, and other mixed-use centers — are often taken for granted as safe and regulated. But recent scrutiny of inspection practices reveals that shared kitchens, dense vendor clusters, and rapid turnover create unique food-poisoning risk factors. Municipalities are increasingly worrying about how inspection regimes cover food-court vendors, and the implications for public health.

Unlike independent restaurants, many food-court vendors rely on centralized kitchens , shared prep areas, or limited-size vendor stalls constrained by cost. When inspectors perform food-safety oversight, they may only sample a few units or rely on vendor self-reporting. This can leave gaps — especially in smaller or transient stalls.

Inspection reports in several cities have show

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