Salmonella here, get yer red hot salmonella...
As a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, I thought the nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea suffered for the last 12 years were a result of the team’s on-field performance. But according to a just-released report from ESPN, losing isn’t as hazardous to your health as the food you consume while attending a game.
Yesterday, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” program released the findings of health-department inspection reports for food and beverage outlets at all 107 North American arenas and stadiums that were home to MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL teams in 2009.
But while this may sound like the beginning of another food police piece and the unhealthy eating habits (nachos, brats, hot dogs, etc) of sports fans, the OTL report focused on the safety of the food being consumed - and in nearly 30-percent of the venues more than half of the concession stands were guilty of ‘critical’ or ‘major’ violations.
“Critical” and “major” violations are defined as infringements that pose a risk for foodborne illnesses that can cause an ailment or in extreme cases become fatal.
The 15 samples of mouse excrement, for example, found on the top of a beverage-dispensing unit in New York’s Madison Square Garden would qualify as a majorly critical violation.
A note to Knicks fans: avoid the brown Dippin’ Dots.
From mold in ice machines (in Milwaukee) to a half-eaten hamburger discovered in a warming bin (Detroit’s Ford Field) to bacterial growth on ketchup dispensers (Atlanta’s Turner Field) and right on through serving “small insects and other debris” in frozen drinks (Miami’s Sun Life Stadium), OTL’s findings are not only disgusting but widespread.
Florida’s sports arenas led the filthy findings; not one venue had less than 67-percent of its vendors cited for “critical” violations. Sunshine State stadiums were cited for soiled ice containers, food not served or discarded within one week of preparation, slimy drink machines and dirty counters, utensils and equipment.
The majority of the infractions cited across the survey stemmed from employee hygiene habits (at Lambeau Field in Green Bay one vendor was blowing his nose while serving food), and there were hundreds of examples of foods being served or stored at improper temperatures. At the brand new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas one kiosk was serving hot dogs that were 65 degrees cooler than the recommended holding temperature.
Undercooked chicken, warm sushi, expired milk, brown lettuce, and odorous cherry ice cream topping round out the delicious menu, which, while not particularly appealing to humans, offers culinary delight to the cockroaches, flies and rodents that accompany you to the Section 34 kiosk.
Three bars at Denver’s Invesco Field featured fruit flies in the their whiskey while cockroaches enjoyed a less powerful libation atop a soda holster at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena. Rodent droppings were found in numerous locations, including 10 vendor stalls in Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center.
While no mass foodborne illness outbreak has occurred from food served at a professional stadium, the OTL report certainly uncovers the potential for a gnarly new strain of something that would frighten even the Colon Lady.
I’m not sure which action will be more apt in turning you into an avid tailgater: reading the full report, or contemplating the safety of the food sold by vendors outside the stadium.
Comments
eeewww!
Oh wow, there goes my appetite!
Lou
www.anonymous-surfing.es.tc
Nothing about Fenway!!
Shut up Brian, typical obnoxious Boston fan.
I always thought those hot dogs were no good for you. This is pretty nasty!
Disgusting! I just lost my appetite.
No more eating at ball games for me. This totally grossed me out.
According to the report one of the best places was the Nassau Colliseum. Another reason I am an Islander fan and why the Rangers, who play at the Garden, suck!
Nothing about Arizona!! See it is safe here!!!
Great report! I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and the worst they got was no hand towels available while the St. Louis Blues' hockey home - Scottrade Center in St. Louis had no cited violations. You are all welcome to visit our - apparently fine - city.
I saw in the report that the folks at Yankee Stadium had to dump a bottle of Chivas after finding dead fruit flies in it. They also charge $16 for a drink at the Stadium. Would you like a little fruit garnish with that?
...but that is the normal stuff, the "great" American citizens eat every day!
Come on Americans you don't know anything about food! What you eat is considered in most of the countries in the Western civilized World as trash and not even fed to the dogs or the pigs.
A disgusting example is the meat supply for hamburgers, as meat is processed know in only 13 facilities and somebody might enjoy ground beef coming from numerous cows or meat sources.
It is one thing to have laws and it is another thing to enforce it or control the execution.
Now I could step on my soapbox and talk about why I'm a proud vegetarian and don't eat much of anything from concession stands or anything that had eyes. I could...but I won't. I'll just say "Great post. Thank you for keeping people informed about what they eat."
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