PORTLAND, Ore. — The Multnomah County Health Department is urging people to avoid buying from unlicensed food carts or street vendors. The warning comes as many people are looking for ways to spend time outside before the end of the summer.
Over the past year, health officials have seen a rise in unlicensed, makeshift red pushcarts across Portland, the health department said on Thursday. Unlicensed vendors operate without inspections or permits and do not have proper food handling equipment or handwashing facilities, raising the risk of foodborne illnesses. The vendors of six food carts that have been labeled as unlicensed have covered the agency's "unlicensed" stickers on their cart, the health department noted in a news release.
The agency did not provide specific locations of these carts, but said inspectors have talked to the vendors about how to obtain business permits. "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," said Jeff Martin, the interim environmental health department. The agency added that since the summer of 2023, it has shut down four vans with out-of-state license plates that dropped off vendors and their carts near venues in the city.
"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," Martin said. Anyone lo.