How Safe Is The Food At The Garden?

BOSTON (WBZ Kathy Curran) ― From rodent droppings to unsanitized utensils and improperly stored food -- those are just some of the violations found by health inspectors at the TD Banknorth Garden. So when you go catch a game how safe is the food? The I-Team checked out the inspection reports at the Garden and Gillette Stadium.

Boston health inspectors making the rounds say if what they found isn't corrected some food being served up could make sports fans sick.

According to the 2008 inspection reports from the restaurants and concessions at the TD Banknorth Garden, there were 54 violations in two inspections.

"Three food borne illness factors," said Assistant Commissioner Thomas Goodfellow with the Division of Health Inspections.

The violations at the Premium Club, one of the upscale restaurants at the Garden, included improper storage of raw poultry and dairy products not being at the right temperature.

"The worry is that there is a bacterium on the product that hasn't been cooked," Goodfellow explained.

The Banner Restaurant failed inspection because they weren't sanitizing utensils properly. At the executive suites and legends restaurant there were minor violations. The biggest problems were in the food stands around the arena.

There were rodent droppings on the floor. At Hungry for Hockey the hot dogs weren't hot enough, which means bacteria could grow. In other area grills, ceilings and floors were dirty, utensils weren't sanitized, and fruit flies were circling and landing on fresh fruit.

Together the restaurants and concessions at the Garden feed about 18,000 people daily. A spokesperson for the Garden says that puts these violations in perspective, but the city says any violation is serious.

"We cite them to get them corrected," Goodfellow explained. "We cite them also to get them educated. The food service operators that this is an issue you're going to have to take care of that.

We were there as city inspectors were back on site last week checking kitchens.

On that scheduled re-inspection the Garden passed.

We told Bruins fan Shannon McLaughlin and her crew about the previous violations as they headed in to catch the game.

"I think it should be a higher standard," she said. "They're feeding mass numbers of people so it's understandable, but obviously I would like to see them do their best to keep it safe."

In a statement, SportService, the company in charge of the Garden food, says it takes guests health and safety very seriously and assures fans they expend great effort in adhering to the highest standards.

The I-Team headed south to Foxboro to the home of the Patriots to see how the food at Gillette Stadium stacked up. We looked at the past seven inspections of the stadium. According to town records there wasn't one violation.

"It might be surprising, but it's true," said Foxboro Board of Health chairman Eric Arvedon.

When town officials were asked about the results of these inspections, they said they only had one person doing inspections for this stadium and the entire town.

But the chairman for the Foxboro board of health tells us it's not a manpower issue. The Patriots have a food safety consulting company that inspects everything and helps them stay in compliance.

"That's proactive," Arvedon said. "That costs money but in the end look at the results, the results speak for themselves. We don't just go in and inspect once or twice we go to every event and spotcheck."

"We want to make sure when we finish with the inspections they're aware of what they have to do and that food establishment is going to operate in a safe and sanitary manner 365 days a year," Goodfellow said.

Officials for the Patriots and the Garden both say they train and certify employees in food safety. Foxborough has certified two additional people in town to do inspections.