What are cockroach "partials?" And why are they in the milk?
The health inspection records obtained by The Daily Cougar raise more than a few questions about the safety of food on our campus (see story, Page 1). Reports from the past few years show lackadaisical cleaning and hygienic practices among Aramark staff at several establishments where students eat daily.
Cutting corners when it comes to food quality is one thing, but when it comes to food safety, that’s an entirely different matter.
Violations such as unwashed hands, missing equipment and unsafely stored meats reflect a lack of pride on the part of Aramark and its employees. Students have put up with low quality and few choices in their campus dining, but they won’t keep buying Aramark’s food if they’re afraid of it.
While the most recent food inspections showed improvement of the most egregious violators, with Einsteins Bros. Bagels cleaning up its act, other questions remained unanswered and it’s unclear if all the inspectors’ recommendations have been followed. It doesn’t help that Aramark failed to keep its promise of a response to Daily Cougar inquiries by press time.
Aramark must take its customers seriously if it expects to keep its contract with the University. One would think it would want to keep us disease-free so we’ll keep coming to school and paying $7.50 for burned fries and leftover chicken nuggets soaked in sweet and sour sauce, but maybe that’s expecting too much.
The saddest part of all this is that most of the violations require only attention and the occasional cleaning to keep mold, cockroaches and mice from getting out of hand.
Granted, Aramark employees have their own share of complaints about the company and its treatment of them, but they still have a minimal responsibility to the students who eat the food they prepare and serve.
We hope the negligent cleaning regimens at some of establishments on campus aren’t some sort of vengeance on the parent company, but the possibility exists. Whether it’s malice or just plain laziness, food-service employees must take the time to wipe down counters, put food away properly and clean out the icebox. It is, after all, their job.
If the health inspection reports are any indication of the pride and care Aramark takes in its work, mandatory meal plans and lack of diversity are the least of our worries.
