How to Safely Serve a Scrumptious Snack Stadium for Your Game Day Viewing Party

There are plenty of fun ways to show off your game day foods, but the snack stadium truly beats out all other competitors when it comes to visually-delicious displays.

The social media sensation has TikTok creators tackling the trend for themselves, with many taking the tasty idea to a whole other level (by literally adding levels). The concept is pretty self explanatory: You replicate a football stadium, subbing in every aspect of it with your favorite snacks.

The field? It’s represented by a tray of fresh guacamole or a forest of green grapes. The stands? Made up with sodas and a variety of chips and dips. You can find them in some grocery stores or DIY your own out of boxes and aluminum trays. While they take some time and effort to put together, it's a fun activity that's ultimately a one-stop shop for snacking.

If you decide to create a snack stadium for your Super Bowl viewing party, you should keep in mind that your game-day snack selections likely have varying food safety rules. 

“Perishable foods can only stay out at room temperature for two hours before foodborne-illness bacteria can start to multiply to dangerous levels,” says Meredith Carothers, a public affairs specialist at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. “If you plan to fill the stadium with snacks like dips, chicken wings, sliders, and pizza bites, these all need to have a game clock running.”

If you want just set up your snack stadium and forget about it (there's a big game going on after all—and you don't want to miss any Taylor Swift screen time), Carothers recommends filling it with non-perishable snacks like chips, soft pretzels, cookies, hard cheeses like cheddar or parmesan, grapes, cherry tomatoes, rolls, crackers, and more.

“If you’re set on wanting perishable foods displayed in the snack stadium, we’d recommend putting out smaller portions and replenishing them with a fresh batch after two hours,” Carothers says. “Remember to also replenish the container the food is sitting in—bacteria can stay behind, which can get you sick.”

Basically, this includes “anything that has been cooked” and “cold items that require refrigeration," Carothers explains. Here are the perishable foods that you should think twice about adding to your snack stadium (unless you're willing to swap them out):

• Chicken wings
• Chicken nuggets
• Pizza
• Pizza rolls
• Sliders
• Dips
• Queso with meat
• Deli-style sandwiches
• Cut fruits and vegetables
• Charcuterie items like soft cheeses and meats
• Taquitos
• Hot dogs
• Chili (unless left in slow cooker)

When setting up your snack stadium, make sure your trays of perishable foods aren't touching your non-perishables—wings shouldn't come into contact with chips, sliders with vegetables. This way, nothing gets cross contaminated.

As long as you follow these guidelines, your food will be safe. Feel free to focus on the game, celebrity appearances, halftime show, commercials, whatever you're most excited to see—while chowing down on your delicious snacks, obviously.