ANN ARBOR, MI – Halfway through eating her salad at the University of Michigan’s South Quad dining hall last week, Stephanie Stan looked down at her plate to find a small green worm resting among the leafy greens and tomatoes.
She said she wasn’t surprised at the discovery, but was taken aback by a conversation she had with a dining hall manager when bringing it to his attention.
“He told me that if I wanted to make sure there weren’t insects in my food, I should only eat at Kosher, because they’re the ones who inspect their food, but the rest of the dining (crew) does not, because they don’t have time to do it, because they’re serving so many students,” Stan said.
“That was shocking to me, because I think that if you are providing food to that many students, that should be the reason you take the time to inspect it, not the other way around."
It was the second time the UM sophomore had discovered an insect while eating in South Quad, she said. During the fall semester of her freshman year, Stan discovered another black bug buried beneath her salad and other fried food items.
University of Michigan sophomore Stephanie Stan has become frustrated with the food safety and cleaning procedures by MDining after discovering bugs in her food during both her freshman and sophomore years. She discovered the green bug displayed above last week in a South Quad dining hall.Photo provided | Stephanie Stan
When bringing her discovery to the attention of the dining hall manager on that occasion, Stan said she gave the manager her contact information for follow up, but claims she never heard back.
Serving approximately 25,000 meals a day and four million meals a year, MDining has recently increased the frequency of staff training to inspect food for “foreign objects” in the receiving, preparing and serving of meals, MDining Food and Occupational Safety Manager Rachel Christensen said.
All full-time staff are required to have ServSafe Essentials training - a food safety training program developed by the National Restaurant Association - at least once a year. Any staff member who manages an MDining location is required to be certified in ServSafe manager training, which is offered as an eight- or 16-hour course.
A key factor in avoiding incidents like the one Stan described starts with purchasing food from approved and reputable vendors, Christensen said. UM’s Environment, Health and Safety department thoroughly vets the food safety procedures of every vendor it brings on campus, physically inspecting the vendors’ locations.
“MDining’s stock keepers thoroughly inspect all food received from our vendors for safety, quality and appearance,” Christensen said. “If it doesn’t meet our standards, we reject the product.”
MDining’s vendors use a “triple wash” process to clean its produce, first with a food-safe rinse to kill bacteria and other harmful pathogens, and then twice with water, she said.
MDining also has a dedicated food safety manager who regularly walks through dining halls to ensure food safety protocols are enforced, she said.
“Any incident (where an insect is found) is immediately reported to the vendor to ensure they are held accountable,” Christensen said. “This ensures our vendors are aware of an issue, so they can review their food production process and adjust if needed to increase safety precautions.”
Despite MDining’s food safety protocols, other students have shared stories similar to Stan’s.
The Michigan Daily reported students have found bugs and even pieces of metal in their food inside South Quad, Mary Markley and Mosher-Jordan dining halls.
The incidents have caused Stan to swear off salads and other fresh produce from South Quad’s dining hall.
“We just don’t want to take that chance, knowing that they probably don’t wash their produce or inspect it well enough,” she said. “That’s what’s frustrating and disappointing, is that with this university, you would expect a little bit more care put into that.”