At the Ballpark: How to Avoid Getting a Food-Borne Illness from Your Stadium Snack
Eat well -- and safely -- at the ballpark.
July 29, 2010 — -- From Fenway to Candlestick, every year thousands of sports fans pile into stadiums to root on their teams, boo the opposition and chomp down on some stadium staple foods.
But before you say "buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks," -- not to mention hotdogs, burgers and the like -- you may want to consider a report recently published by ESPN that revealed some shocking food safety issues in some of the 107 North American arenas and stadiums.
At 30 of the venues, more than half of the concession stands or restaurants had been cited for at least one "critical" or "major" health violation, according to a review of public health records by ESPN's "Outside the Lines".
CLICK HERE to see how safe the food is at a stadium near you with an interactive map at ESPN.com.
The violations increase the chance of acquiring a food-borne illness for unwitting customers who often have no other options because many stadiums impose strict regulations on bringing food into the stadium.
The International Association of Assembly Managers, a public assembly facilities trade organization, issued a statement saying its members were committed to the highest standards of operation and service.
"Stadiums and arenas safely serve hundreds of millions of fans annually, and creating memorable experiences for fans has been -- and will continue to be -- a primary focus for the managers of these venues," Dexter King, IAAM's president and CEO, said in a release.
Here are some tips to prevent acquiring a food-borne illness:
Tips for Avoiding Food Borne Illness at Your Ballpark Concession Stand
First and foremost, if you find anything wrong with your food, do not reorder the same food again. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that you will be served the exact same food or that all of the servings from the larger food batch are unsafe. Pasta, salad, cole slaw and potato salad are especially frequent sources of foodborne illnesses.
Always inspect and smell your food prior to eating it and be alarmed by any unfamiliar or unappetizing odors. Bacteria, which have multiplied to levels high enough to cause an infection, can cause an obvious odor that should immediately deter you from eating the product.
Afterwards, taste your food and make use of another one of your discriminating senses. If your food tastes sour or unappetizing, it could be a source for a foodborne illness. Weigh how good those chili nachos look versus the pain and suffering you might experience from several days of persistent nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Hopefully, you will choose wisely.
Always do an inspection of your child's food before and after they take a bite, looking for any obvious signs of food poisoning, because they have less discerning senses than you do.
Be especially careful with raw meat, chicken and fish. These items are all high risk for transmitting bacteria and parasites and you should only eat them at reputable places, something in question at stadiums and arenas after the Health Department findings. If you only realize that your food is raw after you bite into it, spit it out right away. Undercooked chicken is especially concerning for salmonella and undercooked meat is concerning for E. coli.
How to Eat Safely at the Ballpark
Observe the workers handling your food for open cuts on their hands or if they appear unhygienic. Feel free to check the premises as much as you can.
Utensils that are dirty or have encrusted food debris should alert you to hygienic issues about the establishment.
Obviously, hand-washing is paramount to preventing the spread of infections. Always wash your hands after handling raw foods, after using the restroom and before eating. Poor hand-washing is the number one cause of food poisoning. Use warm water and lots of soap, and rub your hands together to create friction for at least 20 seconds each time you wash your hands.
Most importantly, enjoy the game.