Street Vendors and Food Carts in a Large Urban Center

Background: The Little Village street vendors are predominantly undocumented, self-employed workers, who make a living by preparing and selling ethnic foods. Despite the fact that street vending is a common trade globally, there is a lack of comprehensive studies assessing the occupational hazards that affect this vulnerable population in the U.S.

Objective: To investigate and describe the occupational hazards and working conditions for urban street vendors in Little Village, Chicago.

Methods: We conducted a literature review, observations, and individual interviews among Latino street vendors. We also submitted FOIA requests to the Department of Revenue and the Police Department, and attended weekly meetings of the Asociación de Vendedores Ambulantes; Street Vendors Association meetings.

Results: There is no city ordinance that legalizes street vending. Street vendors have significant occupational health and safety risks, including exposures to UV and ambient noise, burns and cuts from food preparation, police harassment, serious injuries caused by pushing heavy carts on unmaintained roads, and stress related to work organization. A FOIA request to the Dept of Revenue for the years 2007-2011? yielded 9 fines, a lower number than those reported by street vendors in informal interviews.

Conclusion: Street vendors emphasized the immediate need to legalize their trade, allocating their health and exposure to occupational hazards as lower priorities. The lack of a city ordinance legalizing street vending places Little Village food peddlers at greater risk for negative health outcomes.

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Occupational Health Internship Program