Clark County health officials see rise in ‘dangerous’ food carts without permits

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Clark County Public Health is warning community members about a growing number of food carts in the area operating without food service permits, raising concerns for the spread of foodborne illness.

Health officials said they’ve seen the carts selling hotdogs at the RV Inn Style Resorts Ampitheater after shows and warn the makeshift carts are not equipped to properly store or prepare food, lack refrigeration, clean water, and handwashing stations.

“These unpermitted food carts are dangerous and putting people at risk for foodborne illness,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Public Health director and Clark County health officer.

According to the county, the unpermitted vendors first appeared in the area in August, and since then, an increasing number of the carts are appearing at events.

The carts are transported to venues in vans with out-of-state license plates, with vendors serving hot dogs as people leave venues, officials said.

While Clark County Public Health has tried addressing the issue, officials said the cart operators have ignored them.

In the meantime, the department is working closely with Live Nation – who runs RV Inn Style Resorts Ampitheater – along with Clark County Sheriff’s Office to address the issue.

CCSO Sgt. Christopher Skidmore told KOIN 6 News that the sheriff’s office met with Public Health and Live Nation on Wednesday, and will continue working to address concerns over the food carts.

“At this point, we will work with Public Health to educate the vendors during this last concert weekend,” Sgt. Skidmore said.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, a spokesperson for RV Inn Style Resorts Ampitheater said, “These vendors are not affiliated with RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater and are located outside of the venue property. We encourage fans to exercise caution and follow Clark County Public Health’s recommendation to avoid unpermitted vendors. We offer a wide variety of high-quality food and beverage offerings inside the venue for fans and are focused on creating great experiences for those attending the season’s final shows.”

The health department is encouraging community members to only buy food from carts, event vendors, and restaurants, that have permits — meaning they undergo routine inspections for safe food handling, storage, and preparation.

The warning from Clark County comes after a similar warning was issued by Multnomah County in mid-August.

The Multnomah County health department noted many unlicensed vendors “are known to be transported to Portland from other areas.”

“We can’t have people coming from out of town, disregarding County rules, and selling unsafe food that negatively impacts public health and the livelihoods of licensed food businesses,” said Multnomah County Interim Environmental Health Director Jeff Martin.

Even though six carts have been labeled as unlicensed by Multnomah County, vendors have misled customers by covering the health department’s “unlicensed” stickers on their carts, officials said.

“There is a legal way to operate a mobile hot dog stand: Obtain a temporary license from the Health Department,” said Martin. “We’ve tried working with these unlicensed vendors, but they have been unwilling to follow our guidance, which harms both licensed food vendors and the public.”

Clark County Public Health is reminding community members that food carts are required to have permits displayed for customers.

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