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There are other health hazards, as well. According to the CamControl’s laboratory director, Dim Theng, some illegally imported meatballs from Thai border are seized for not following the standards of food safety for storage and transport. “They don’t keep it at the standard temperature allowed, and thus will make the meatballs decay and become very harmful to a Cambodian’s health,” he says.

The Ministry of Health does have a safety control office for street food safety, but food vendors say they are rarely inspected. Officials there declined to be interviewed.

Seang Huy, a researcher at the Sciences and Technology Research Institution at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, says she has found toxic substances in meatballs, such as the chemical borax. The chemical, used to keep the meat fresh for longer periods of time, can damage the urethra and kidneys, she says. “In the short term, it makes the consumer’s head ache, or stomach itch, and so on. When consumed over five to 10 years, it can cause lung cancer.”

Chey Vitiyarithy, a doctor at Calmette Hospital, says that if the meatballs are not stored at the proper temperature, they can rot and become dangerous. “It may cause physical disability, if people consume it as a habit as these days,” he says.

Cambodians need to be wary of the street food trend, he says. In the long run, it could lead to a future health crisis.