ESPN Calls Foul on Sports Chow

Anaheim Ducks, SF Giants post lowest scores in state

The price of parking may make you sick to your stomach, but it's what inside the stadium that could possibly cause a real stomach ache, according to a new report from ESPN.

ESPN's "Outside the Lines" took a look at health department inspection reports at 107 professional sports stadiums, including 12 in California.

According to the data, the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field and the Washington Wizards' Verizon Center were the top offenders. At each stadium, every single food and drink vendor received a critical violation in the last year.

California performed much better.

"Ten of its 12 stadiums had among the lowest percentages of vendors in violation," according to the report.

Critical or major violations include food temperature, cross-contamination, hygiene, equipment and rodent or insect contamination, according to ESPN.

The Ducks' Honda Center (3 percent) and the Giants' AT&T Park (4 percent) were the top performers in the state.

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The McAfee Coliseum in Oakland posted the worst score in California, with 34 percent of its vendors in violation of health requirements.

The report is careful to point out that so far, food served at professional sports stadiums have never been linked to a mass foodborne illness outbreak.

StadiumTeamVendors with critical violationsInspection report excerpt:
Angel Stadium of AnaheimLos Angeles Angels16%Most recent inspection reports show improvements on rat-related violations that occurred in prior visits.
ARCO ArenaSacramento Kings25%Inspectors found some shrimp pasta salad at 52 degrees, which was too warm.
AT&T ParkSan Francisco Giants4%Inspectors found a few instances of food being kept at improper temperatures.
Candlestick ParkSan Francisco 49ers13%Inspectors found one location with no hot water, posing a sanitary threat.
Dodger StadiumLos Angeles Dodgers13%At least one location had mold growing inside an ice machine.
Honda CenterAnaheim Ducks3%The only major violation was for not having chlorine sanitizer in the kitchen's dishwashing machine.
HP Pavilion at San JoseSan Jose Sharks20%At one location, inspectors found Chinese chicken salad had warmed to 60 degrees, about 20 degrees above a safe temperature.
McAfee ColiseumOakland Raiders, Oakland Athletics34%Several locations lacked adequate hand-washing equipment.
Oracle ArenaGolden State Warriors19%Potato salad left out at an unsafe temperature during one game was put back into a cooler to be reused.
Petco ParkSan Diego Padres10%At one location, chicken salad and turkey wraps were measured at 53 to 55 degrees, above safe temperatures.
Qualcomm StadiumSan Diego Chargers17%Food was not being held at a proper temperature at at least seven locations.
Staples CenterLos Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings11%One stand dumped 9.5 pounds of sushi after inspectors found that it become too warm.
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