City of Boston inspectors reportedly found multiple health code violations when they went through Fenway Park food stations on Opening Day. More importantly, when they returned a week later, the situation had not improved.

The findings only serve to highlight the disturbing trend of improper food preparation at Major League Ballparks.

The team claims that the violations weren’t attended to initially because the ballpark concessionaire never let on there was a problem. The BOSTON GLOBE:

The concession operator’s response to the city’s findings was so slow that the city threatened at a municipal court hearing to shut down Fenway Park’s food stands if the problems were not fixed. Ultimately, 19 home games passed, and thousands of $4 hot dogs and $6 Italian sausages passed across the counters before the Red Sox concession stands finally passed a city health inspection on May 16.

The Sox front office was in full backpedal mode after it allegedly finally found out about the behind the counter abuses:

“We have made it clear to Aramark that we want to be informed immediately when any issues related to the Division of Health occur from this point going forward,” Red Sox chief operating officer Mike Dee said in an interview.

The team’s agreement with Aramark requires such notification, a team official said.

The list of violations were as diverse as they were sickening:

In the initial visit, on April 1, inspectors found sausages thawing in stagnant water, employees handling raw burgers without changing their gloves, and rodent droppings underneath service counters, city records show.

“Those are serious violations,” said Kathleen MacVarish, a Boston University clinical assistant professor of environmental health.

Ya think? But not surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be any danger of Fenway’s concession stands being closed by the city.

“I know people think health inspectors close restaurants all the time, but it’s really a very serious matter and it’s not always necessary,” [MacVarish] said. “I wouldn’t have considered closing them, even on a recheck.”

She said hauling Aramark into a hearing, as the city did, was the appropriate step.

I spent most of my adolescent years working for a company that was eventually bought out by Aramark. Companies like Aramark typically bid for these accounts, and then try to recoup that bid, in part by cutting operating costs.

It would not have surprised me at all if Aramark had left every stand in that part stagnant before Opening Day. An operation like that involves assembling a staff that is large and typically undertrained. And not getting paid enough to care about whether or not a hot dog hit the floor on the way into your bun.

Just like the teams they serve, it’s all about money. Think about that the next time you wait 15 minutes in line to plunk $4 down on a hot dog.