An ESPN report on stadium food safety inspections among venues in the four major sports revealed Nissan Stadium and Bridgestone Arena among the top 20 in high-level food inspection violations.

The report compiled food-and-health inspection reports of concessions stands from 111 professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey venues throughout North America.

The venues were ranked by percentage of high-level violations discovered in health department inspections.

Nissan Stadium ranked 95th (third worst in the NFL) in the report with just over 65 percent of outlets inspected with one or more high-level violations.

Bridgestone Arena ranked 92nd (fifth worst in the NHL) with just over 61 percent of outlets with one or more high-level violations.

ESPN stated in its report that a high-level violation is defined generally across the country in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code, with some disparity depending on the state.

In Tennessee, "violations of critical items" can cause food permit suspensions if violations are not corrected within 10 days of the prior visit and inspection.

Both teams provided statements to the Tennessean regarding ESPN's report.

What the Titans said

“The health and safety of our fans are at the forefront of what we do and we consistently work with our vendors to provide that safety," a statement from the Titans read. "We don’t have enough facts to comment on the methods involved in this study, but we would point to our 2018 State of Tennessee health inspections for the stadium, which average in the very high 90’s and reflect safe food handling.”

What the Predators said

"No one from the Nashville Predators or Bridgestone Arena were contacted by ESPN for their recent report, and as we continue to strive to make Smashville the best experience in sports, the cleanliness of our food areas is something that we take very seriously," the Predators statement read.



"During the Nashville Predators 2016-17 season, at the time that the article references, Bridgestone Arena’s average Health Department score was 94 percent," it continued. "Additionally, EcoSure, an independent third-party food safety assessment organization that conducts safety audits, gave Bridgestone Arena a 93 percent rating on inspections during the same time period. We will continue to work diligently with our food service provider, Delaware North, and the Board of Health to ensure a clean food environment for our fans."

What the food service provider said

Delaware North, the food service provider of Bridgestone Arena, also provided a statement.

"Food safety at Bridgestone Arena and the health and safety of Predators fans is a top priority for Sportservice. Our chefs and managers are ServSafe certified and our employees are trained in proper food safety and handling," Delaware North's statement read. "As an added measure, we work with EcoSure, an independent third-party food safety assessment organization, to conduct safety audits at the arena.

"Our managers work closely with health inspectors and immediately begin addressing and correcting any issues. We are committed to continuing to meet health department standards to ensure the safety of our guests."