The food cart scofflaws who entice concertgoers with sizzling but possibly unsanitary street meats are back on a roll — and a bun! — in Clark County, officials say.
The county’s public health department reports that unpermitted vendors, who are transported en masse by vans with out-of-state plates, started popping up in the parking lots surrounding the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater in Ridgefield last month. They’ve been spotted at least four times, according to a spokesperson.
The makeshift food carts lack all of the refrigeration, water and hand-washing facilities required to safely store and prepare food, according to Clark County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick, and their numbers are increasing.
“These unpermitted food carts are dangerous and putting people at risk for foodborne illness,” Melnick said in a statement Tuesday.
Unlicensed food vendors have long been a common sight in California, but they began appearing in Portland and Seattle this summer, where officials have similar concerns about the spread of serious illnesses caused by salmonella, E. coli and norovirus.
An unpermitted hot dog stand outside the Moda Center before the Gracie Abrams concert in Portland on Sept. 5, 2024.Mike Rogoway/The Oregonian
In Multnomah County, officials say the vendors have been caught selling alcohol to minors and have even suggested the vendors might be victims, too, of human trafficking.
Multnomah County spokesperson Sarah Dean said the county continues to receive reports of unlicensed venders and is mulling possible solutions.
Clark County spokesperson Marissa Armstrong says vendors have ignored orders from health inspectors and continue to hawk their food as throngs leave the 18,000-person venue. The health department is now working with operator Live Nation and the sheriff’s office to curb the issue, but haven’t issued any fines so far.
—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.
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