Clark County (WA) Public Health is urging community members to only purchase food from permitted food carts, event vendors and restaurants. Permitted food establishments undergo routine inspections to ensure safe food handling, storage and preparation practices are followed, which reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The health department is concerned about unsafe food practices occurring at unpermitted food carts selling hot dogs in the parking lot of the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater following concerts at the venue.
The makeshift food carts are not equipped to properly store or prepare food, as they lack refrigeration, clean water and handwashing facilities. Storing foods at the appropriate temperatures — keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot — is critical to prevent germs that cause foodborne illness from growing. Food must also be cooked thoroughly to the appropriate temperatures to kill any germs that have grown.
And handwashing is essential to prevent spreading germs from hands to the food people are eating. “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.
The unpermitted food vendors first appeared in Clark County in August, and since then, the number of carts appearing at events has increased. The carts are transported in vans with out-of-state license plates to the venue before or during the concerts, and vendors begin serving .
