As supermarkets expand, traditional food systems shrink, endangering heritage diets and the benefits they offer to human health. Street food vendors play a critical role in many of these traditional food systems. An estimated 2.5 billion people eat street food every day. Food quality is assured by strong social ties and trust between producers, food vendors and consumers. Food production, distribution and access form a cohesive socio-cultural fabric that supports people’s nutritional and mental wellbeing, and people’s food sovereignty.