The 10 Riskiest MLB Stadiums to Grab a Bite In
For every person that loves going to the ballpark on a summer evening to catch their favorite team in action, there's at least one other person who just goes for the food and drinks.
Ballpark cuisine has certainly evolved since the days of a hot dog and a soda. Stadiums have created variations of virtually every type of food imaginable, from sushi to walk-a-tacos.
With the increased offerings, however, there is the increase in room for error. Vendors come from all walks and strive to provide great products, while also managing staff and keeping the all-important customer happy.
An article published by ESPN last summer outlined infractions that venues across all of sports have encountered. Some may be as minor as a lack of hand-washing stations, while others are noticeably more alarming.
Here are a few select stadiums whose violations stood out above the rest.
Coors Field
1 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 62 percent
Set in one of the most majestic backdrops imaginable, Coors Field is likely one of the best places to grab a cold brew while watching the game.
Their food care on the other hand leaves something to be desired. Aside from nearly two thirds of all vendors having notable violations upon inspection, the stadium was cited for storing dairy products including sour cream and cheese above 50 degrees.
Sun Life Stadium
2 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 93 percent
Sun Life Stadium may be a great place to get some sun, but you might want to stick with water if you're looking to quench your thirst.
In 2009, an employee notified inspectors that insects were being blended into drinks. Sure enough the sanitation of the equipment was a glaring issue upon inspection.
Tropicana Field
3 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 100 percent
The infractions that vendors encountered at Tropicana Field mostly related to the cleanliness of food preparation devices.
The most alarming part may be that every single vendor in the ballpark was cited.
Turner Field
4 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 19 percent
With 19 percent of vendors encountering health standard infractions, Turner Field is relatively low overall.
Their most notable issue may have been a widespread one, however, as bacterial growth was noted on a ketchup dispenser, perhaps the most widely used condiment in a given ballpark.
Kauffman Stadium
5 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 62 percent
With around two-thirds of the vendors in some violation of safety standards, the most common revolved around the unsafe temperatures that food was stored at.
Citi Field
6 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 45 percent
Citi Field may be one of the newest ballparks in baseball, but it's not immune to infractions.
In a potentially very harmful situation, inspectors noted that refrigerators housing chicken were at a temperature of 70 degrees, nearly twice the allowable temperature.
Yankee Stadium
7 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 48 percent
Another new ballpark, Yankee Stadium is one of the true gems in baseball.
But you might want to take a closer look before indulging in a cocktail after inspectors found that some fruit flies were swimming in a bottle of whiskey.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
8 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 62 percent
More than half of the vendors at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington incurred at least some sort of violation. It appears that one in particular had some work to do.
With 12 violations alone, a pizza vendor was cited for a multitude of infractions.
PNC Park
9 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 53 percent
It goes without saying that one of the fundamentals to keeping food safe and clean is to keep yourself clean.
That can be a more difficult proposition without hot water, as inspectors noted that restrooms failed to have it running.
Great American Ballpark
10 of 10
Vendors with critical violations: 40 percent
This is pretty gross. Apparently during one inspection a safety inspector witnessed an employee attempting to clean residue off of a spatula using a garbage can and then try to reuse the tool before cleaning.
