Food safety has garnered significant global attention as foodborne illnesses emerge as a major public health threat. Staphylococcus aureus produces a diverse array of toxins, including staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST), all of which exhibit emetic activity. Three hundred fifty different samples were collected from four streets in Erbil, located in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, between August and November 2024. The results of the current study revealed that the prevalence rate of S. aureus was 43.4% (152/350). The prevalence varied by area, with rates of 38.8% on the 30-meter street, 50% on the 40-meter street, 36.7% on the 60-meter street, and 48% on the 100-meter street. Additionally, it was discovered that each S. aureus isolate possessed 100% nuc and coa genes. The prevalence of S. aureus isolates carrying the sea, seb, sec, and tst genes was 82.5%, 17.5%, 75%, and 32.5%, respectively. However, none of the isolates contained the sed or see genes. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were classified into 11 distinct gene profiles. The most prevalent gene profile, comprising (nuc + coa + sea + sec), was observed in 42.5% of the isolates. Based on the seb gene, six unique strains of S. aureus have been registered in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these newly identified isolates share high similarities with previously characterized S. aureus strains from various regions worldwide.