Although peanuts and Cracker Jacks aren't really the problem, a recent league-wide analysis shows that SunTrust Park is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the cleanliness of food-servers in MLB stadiums.
Sports Illustrated looked at each of the 28 ballparks and assigned them a ranking on the results of the inspections by their local health departments so far this year.
The home of the Braves came in at No. 13.
The median number of violations of a municipality's food code at each stadium was 58. The median of critical violations, which SI defined as citations linked to foodborne illness, was 24.
SunTrust Park has 63 total violations, 38 of which were categorized as critical.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution regularly writes about local restaurant inspections but only does so when the eatery has failed its health check. None of the establishments at SunTrust Park have failed inspections.
In all, 79 eateries at SunTrust were inspected, most in late May.
As for a taste of the violations, an employee at the Potato Cutter near section 138 was seen dicing potatoes without washing their hands, according to a Cobb health inspection report.
The SI analysis showed that the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field blew everyone away with only five violations, only one of which was critical.
And then there's Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, at the bottom of the list with 241 violations. Of those, 105 were critical. Two of their establishments racked up 20 violations each. The team has already responded to the SI analysis.
And here’s a data note from the magazine: “All data is from the stadium's most recent inspection in 2017, except two stadiums that have not had full inspections this year (Marlins Park and the Oakland Coliseum). Data since summer 2016 was used for those. New violations found on follow-ups prompted by a routine inspection were included.”
