Vendor Inspection Reports Released for Sports Stadiums, Includes Critical Violations

Vendor inspection reports from stadiums around the country were released by ESPN. These vendor inspection reports show stadiums that have had critical violations of health codes, some of which are almost too disgusting to imagine. According to Outside The Lines, some of the worst violations include mold in ice machines at Miller Park, workers not washing their hands at Ford Field, and even rat and mice contamination. Just about the worst things that can be thought up are apparently occurring at ballparks, arenas, and stadiums around the country, and the worry has become that it could lead to many cases of food poisoning. The report constructed by ESPN shows some really bad inspection reports.

One of the worst vendor inspection reports came at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Tampa Bay Rays play. In that particular report, 100 percent of the vendors were in violation of health code standards, with dirty countertops, dirty utensils, and dirty equipment leading the way. At the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., where the Washington Wizards play, there were mice droppings found at 10 vendors.

In another instance, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play), was serving undercooked chicken. These are just some of the many critical vendor violations that ESPN reported today, and shows that there is indeed a lot of risk when it comes to trusting vendors at these sports complexes to adhere to all health codes. It's not just East Coast stadiums falling victim to mishandled food either, as they also reported that, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon (where the Portland Trailblazers play), inspectors found raw meat and seafood stored atop ready-to-eat tacos.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention that there were also some stadiums that have a perfect inspection report on file. One of those is Wrigley Field in Chicago, but it has to be mentioned that health inspectors work after-hours there, where nobody is handling food at the time. Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots) also has a perfect inspection record on file.

So why do these violations occur? It could be a mixture of bad training, high expectations on speed, and sometimes simply not caring on the part of the employees. One thing not to rule out is the fact that facilities could play into the equation as well, meaning that if the stadium or the company running the concessions doesn't provide everything to the employee that is necessary to meet the health codes, it's simply not going to happen.

Anyone attending sporting events in this country should take a look at what this Outside The Lines report had to say, because it points to some important issues dealing with foods that could make people extremely sick.

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