Taste of Chicago vendors racked up more than 160 health violations. The departments that run festivals face the Council Wednesday

Health inspectors logged more than 160 violations against food vendors at this summer's Taste of Chicago, and the City's biggest private festivals on public land, such as Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, appear to get little or no City food inspection on site, according to a WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times investigation published Monday.

Why it matters: the Taste is the City's own festival, run by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in Grant Park. Two of the departments involved, DCASE and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), are scheduled to defend their 2027 budgets before the City Council tomorrow, Wednesday.

What the reporting found

The reporters built a database of more than 1,000 festival inspections from records of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and DCASE, obtained through public records requests. For the Taste in July, they reported:

• 81 vendors served food over five days, and 58 had at least one violation. Ten had five or more.
• Temperature control was the most common problem: 82 violations for holding food at the wrong temperature, plus seven for faulty coolers and facilities.
• At least 800 pounds of food were thrown out.
• Only 35 of the 81 vendors had submitted a health inspection that met the festival's own application rules, which call for a clean inspection from the vendor's restaurant or food truck within six months of applying. Nine failed an inspection at their regular location between applying and the festival.

CDPH did not indicate any signs of foodborne illness linked to this year's Taste, the reporters wrote.

Who inspects private events is unclear. CDPH told the reporters that BACP processes event applications and directs its inspectors to events, and that the health department does not review or approve licenses. DCASE said organizers of privately run events are responsible for their vendors' licensing and food safety and that CDPH does not inspect on site at those events. The reporters said their questions were passed from DCASE to the Park District to CDPH to the organizers. A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson said the City continues to prioritize food safety inspections and enforcement.

What our records add

Food inspector staffing came up at last year's budget hearings. At the Oct. 30, 2025, hearing on the health department's 2026 budget:

• Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) asked about food inspector vacancies, supervisor ratios and staffing compared with federal Food and Drug Administration standards (watch).
• Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) asked about the department's plan for hiring food inspectors (watch) and how CDPH and BACP hold convenience stores that serve food accountable for repeat violations (watch).
• Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) estimated what it would cost to meet the FDA's recommended ratio of inspectors and suggested fees could help cover it (watch).
• Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th) asked whether the budget changed fees for food violations (watch).

Members have asked who pays for big events before. At the November 2024 hearing on DCASE's 2025 budget, the commissioner at the time told members that DCASE processes event permits while other departments approve or deny them and bill organizers for their services (watch). In September 2025, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) asked that the Council be included in the City's working group on recovering special event costs (watch), and Ald. David Moore (17th) questioned the shorter downtown Taste and asked for a cost-benefit comparison (watch).

What's next

• Wed., Nov. 4, 9:30 a.m.: the Committee on Budget and Government Operations hears from Planning and Development, Housing, DCASE and BACP (meeting page). Video and our notes will be posted there afterward.
• CDPH presented its budget on Oct. 28, before the investigation was published.
• The Council has until Dec. 31 to pass the 2027 budget, and now has a new $75 million gap to close after Monday's parking meter vote.

Sources: City Clerk: FY2027 budget hearing schedule, first amended agenda (PDF).