UPDATE: City Cautions Against Illegal Food Vendors at Weho Halloween Carnaval

The City of West Hollywood Tuesday set out to warn Halloween Carnaval attendees to be cautious of buying food from unlicensed vendors, specifically hot dog vendors.

"Hot dogs and other foods purchased from unlicensed street vendors may present serious health risks to the public," the city said in a press release.

“Caution – Don’t Eat the Weenies!” posters will be pinned along Santa Monica Boulevard in order to warn visitors. 

• What do you think about the city's "Don't Eat the Weenies!" campaign? Do you love street dogs?

“We urge Halloween Carnaval goers to patronize one of the many licensed food vendors or the fantastic restaurants the City has to offer during Halloween,” said Jeff Aubel, West Hollywood Code Compliance Manager, in a press release. “Eating a hot dog or other food from an unlicensed street vendor can be dangerous and is gambling with your health."

The city listed a number of reasons as to why attendees should avoid eating from unlicensed street vendors, including the use of unsanitary equipment, their limited access to clean water and limited hygiene facilities, the absence of refrigeration or temperature regulation of food products which can significantly increase the risk of spoilage of food products, and the high risk of consumption of foods containing bacteria, viruses and parasites that contaminate food and cause food borne illnesses

"There are many licensed food vendors at the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval that do fully comply with all food safety regulations," read the city press release. "To identify a licensed food vendor look for a certificate issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that must be posted on the cart, trailer, or truck."

Wednesday, West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang said that unlicensed vendors are illegal in the city, but with the amount of people that attend the Halloween Carnaval, it is difficult to find and cite every unlicensed vendor.

"There are so many of these vendors that we can't keep up with them," Prang said. "Tonight, there will be hundreds of them. We do chase them. Last year, they confiscated dozens of them. But when they see the police coming, they run off.”

“They have spotters looking for the police and telling them when to run," Prang added. "They move around very, very quickly.”

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