Scottish Premier League football clubs have been "shown the red card" by health inspectors who uncovered rodents, bugs and mold in some shocking stadium kitchens, according to Stuart Macdonald of the Scotland DAILY RECORD. Catering company Sporting Solutions was warned that it could face criminal action "if the situation was not rectified." At Hibernian's Easter Road stadium, "mouse droppings were found in the west stand kitchen." The floors in another kitchen needed repair and "food and ice were being stored uncovered in the bar areas, risking contamination by pests." At Dundee United’s Tannadice stadium, mold was found "growing over one of the bars, which had a broken and filthy extraction vent." Cobwebs were found in other units and "there were no hand-washing facilities in the players’ lounge, where pies are served." Microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said, "These are very worrying breaches. The fact that so many clubs were warned about lack of hand washing is most concerning. That is a basic food safety requirement. It’s a no-brainer." A Sporting Solutions spokesperson said, "All the issues raised in the report have been rectified. We were advised by an inspector that we did not need to keep food safety records because all food is pre-prepared" (DAILY RECORD, 7/14).
