Students frequently criticize the food on campus, but Putnam County’s Department of Health also had critiques about the way food is being prepared and kept.
Over the past year, restaurants on DePauw property—the ones students frequent most commonly—have received a total of six violations during random Department of Health inspections—four of which are deemed as “critical.”
The critical violations are evenly split between Bon Appetit managed campus eateries and the Dora Hotel Company’s operated 2West at the Inn at DePauw
Bon Appetit’s violations occurred at Café Roy and the Hub. Both revolved around the temperature either being too low or too high.
Per health department documents on Dec. 1, 2014 Café Roy’s “’Express’ cooler holding temperature was above the 41 degrees--infrared [thermometer] showed temperature between 42-45 degrees. Their thermometer read above 41 degrees also.”
According to the FDA, coolers and refrigerators should be kept at 40 degrees or lower. The agency says one in six Americans are affected yearly by food borne illness, and the bacteria causing it can double every 20 minutes.
In regards to the violation, Jason Rose, Bon Appetite’s General Manager for DePauw’s campus stated, “What happened here at Express was the cooler was actually having issues, and we had already had Pepsi [the owner of the cooler] called out to take care of it.”
Rose insisted he, “knew it was having issues staying cold, and we were monitoring the product inside which was still temping out. It was just the ambient air inside the cooler that was higher. It was fixed before the end of the day,” he said.
As for Bon Appetit’s other violation, Putnam County Health Department records states that the “veggie mac and cheese out hot held at under 100 degrees.”
FDA guidelines state, “Hot foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140 degrees or warmer.”
These guidelines are in place, because according to the FDA, “foodborne illness can strike anyone.” The agency estimates there are 48 million cases across the United States resulting in approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
In response to the mac and cheese temping over 40 degrees colder than allowed, Rose insisted, “They [the Putnam County Health Department] came, and checked us at 2:15 when we were closed.”
Rose said his staff had already turned the hot wells off, which keep the products warm.
“I can understand it was probably not at temperature, but we weren’t serving it anymore. It was going in the trash,” he said.
Rose also insisted he and his team check both hot and cold foods every two hours and before they are placed on the line.
“If it’s out longer than two hours, and it’s not at temperature we throw it out.”
Rose also stated all Bon Appetite serveries are monitored by a third party company called EcoSure. The company, according to Rose, “is a little bit more through than what the county health inspector does.” According to Bon Appetit, DePauw has not received any yellow or red violations, the more serious of the violations, although The DePauw has not received a copy of these records.
In terms of the violations at 2West, health department records revealed, “Chicken on salad bar probed between 42 and 43 degrees.” Records also stated. “Sausage on hot bar probed at 132 degrees.” Again, cold foods should temp no higher than 40 degrees, while hot foods should temp no lower than 140 degrees.
“As far as I’m aware, we’ve never had any violations before,” said Karen Weaver, a catering coordinator for the Inn at DePauw. “We temp the salad bar three times every shift, just to make sure that we stay within acceptable limits.” Weaver said they have also added ice to ensure the food stays at temperature. “We haven’t temped it at anything outside the acceptable range since we [added ice].”
“I think it brought to our attention that we needed to keep an eye on it," she said. "We’re glad that we have inspections, and that people are checking. Nothing in the report was of any danger to anyone. It was embarrassing, it was very embarrassing, but we of course want to ensure everyone that we’ve fixed the problem. We feel very confident that no one was in any danger.”
Students expressed unease.
First-year, Drew Johnson, said, “that concerns me because students really don’t have other options on campus, and we’ve already paid for a meal plan.”
A first-year who wished to remain anonymous said, “it doesn’t surprise me.”
However, Rose insisted that he and his staff eat the food they prepare every day, and it is safe and healthy for everyone to consume on a daily basis.
These violations occur in campuses across the country, and are not unique to DePauw’s campus. Student newspapers along with the New York Times and NBC News have highlighted the safety of campus food.
Please note: The Bon Appetit managed properties have not received additional violations from the Putnam County Health Department in the inspections following, and 2West has not been inspected since the last violation occurred.