Hope you are not eating as you read this. According to a report by ESPN’s Outside the Lines, there have been dozens of health code violations as it relates to food that has been served at Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) and Kauffman Stadium (Royals), the two professional sports venues in Kansas City, Missouri.
Here is part of ESPN’s report.
The food safety manager at Kansas City’s Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, home to the Royals and the Chiefs, told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that poor food handling and dirty conditions have routinely been putting fans’ health at risk — including during the World Series. In addition, a city health department inspection completed Nov. 3 found dozens of critical health code violations at the facilities, according to documents obtained by “Outside the Lines.”
If that sounds scary, you’re really going to enjoy reading the rest.
* Cockroaches in vending machine areas. Crunchy Coca-Cola?
* Mouse feces on pizza dough trays. Protein?
* Sinks (where employees are tasked with washing their hands) being blocked by boxes. So yeah, we can assume they weren’t washing their hands before handling the food.
* Mold growth in ice machines. Penicillin, anyone?
* A large number of fruit flies. Nope, got nothing for you here.
Jon Costa, the district food safety manager for Aramark, brought these concerns up to his bosses at the company. Unfortunately, he had to go to local media outlets, including ESPN, in order to get the information out there. Apparently, those in charge at Aramark didn’t really find any major issues with these “practices.” The sad part about this is that Aramark runs food services for about 30 professional sports teams.