Food Safety Strikes Out at Professional Sports Venues

A recent investigative report by ESPN's "Outside the Lines" uncovered a seldom-mention dirty little secret skulking around North Americas professional sports venuesfood safety or the lack thereof.

Reporters Paula Lavigne and Lindsay Rovegno spent months reviewing health department inspection reports food and beverage concessions at all 107 arenas and stadiums that were home to Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association teams in 2009. At nearly 30 percent of the venues, more than half of the concession stands or restaurants had been cited for at least one "critical" or "major" health violation.

In addition to mouse excrement, violations included the sale of improperly refrigerated food; dead fruit flies; mold in ice machines; cross contamination; poor employee hygiene; poor kitchen equipment hygiene; and contamination with rodents and insects, including cockroaches, according to the ESPN report.

At Phoenixs Jobing.com arena, one worker was observed scooping ice cream with his bare hands. At Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, inspectors noted live cockroaches crawling over a soda dispenser in a private suite.

Washington D.Cs Verizon Center scored the worst, with 100-percent of its vendors being cited with critical or major health violations. Chicagos Wrigley Field got a perfect record; however, the reporters noted that Chicago conducts its investigations on non-game days when no food is being prepared.

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