York tops list of worst Ontario higher-learning institutions for food safety

Jonny Chard | News Editor

Featured image: Over 200 violations were recorded in two years by just 36 food outlets at both Keele and Glendon campuses. | Amir Yazdanparast

In an alarming report exposed by CityNews, York has been named the worst offending higher-learning institution for food safety infractions and violations in Ontario.

A report published by Toronto Public Health highlights that out of York’s 44 campus food outlets, 36 have presented more than 200 violations in total over a two-year period.

Offences include failing to provide adequate pest control and protection against contamination, failing to wash utensils and surfaces, and several basic hygiene requirements such as providing hand-washing supplies.

A total of 59 violations have been classified as significant or crucial, with numerous outlets facing repercussions for their negligence.

Seven outlets have previously been under conditional, or yellow, passes, where an establishment is granted 24 to 48 hours to rectify serious violations of food safety, such as storing hazardous food at unsafe temperatures.

Barbara Joy of York Media states that all York food service providers are currently operating under a green pass, meaning that all outlets are currently clear of violations.

“When York enters into a contract with a food service provider, there are provisions to mandate food safety standards. Food service providers must meet all federal and provincial food safety standards in addition to Toronto Public Health standards,” she says.

“We work closely with Toronto Public Health staff, including food safety inspectors, to offer a mandatory food safety training session for all food service providers on campus.”

While York has the greatest number of food outlets in all GTA post-secondary institutions, and so, statistically, are arguably more likely to incur the most violations, students are notably concerned.

For students living in residence, the report is of particular importance, as many are on meal plans and rely on campus food outlets daily.

Hayllie Durette, a fourth-year visual arts student, feels that better standards are expected, especially given the cost of the meal plans.

“With how much money students are expected to spend on meal plans living on-campus, there should be a higher degree of quality being offered by York’s food outlets,” says Durette.

In seven of York’s residences, a meal plan is compulsory, and in the other four it is optional. It currently costs $2,750 for the basic bronze plan, all the way up to $4,325 for platinum.

The report comes after a norovirus outbreak at Humber College in January, which left around 200 students unwell with vomiting and abdominal pains.

“Students shouldn’t have to worry that they could get sick from eating food served on campus,” says Durette.

Joy states that York works with food services and the food safety department to rectify any concerns immediately.

“The university reserves the right to shut down any food services location on campus that does not quickly comply; however, we have not had to take this action previously,” she says.

None of the food outlets highlighted in the report were available for comment at the time of publication.

Excalibur asked students: What do you think of York’s low food quality status?

“As an international student, I thought it would work out well for me when I found out that a meal plan was available, making it convenient and cost efficient for someone who doesn’t know the area to get meals easily. However, after seeing this report I think it is disgusting that these cafés and restaurants don’t keep an appropriate standard of hygiene, particularly as a student that doesn’t have many other options to eat. As a vegetarian, my options were narrowed in the first place, but now after seeing this report, it makes me reluctant to eat in even more places.” – Emily Greenman, third-year digital media exchange student

“As York has so many people coming through every single day, the restaurants might have shifted their focus onto simply making sure they manage to serve the immense number of customers. I always see more employees working at the front of the restaurant than in the back. This can’t just be pinned on the managers or owners; the employees also need to take responsibility. This is going to sway my choice whenever I am getting food at York, and I hope that those places can get back to an acceptable state of health and safety standards.” – David Bandi, fourth-year music student

“The report does not surprise me because it resonates with my thoughts and impressions about on-campus restaurants […] I was very disappointed by the overall experience of eating at York so I decided to stop frequenting a month after arriving [in Canada] because the food they serve is often oily, salty and unhealthy. Since I don’t eat at those restaurants now, I can’t argue about whether they currently respect the rules or not. However, it would not surprise me to know that there are some violations.” – Carlo Handy Charles, masters candidate in sociology

“As I’ve worked in the food industry before, the report unfortunately didn’t surprise me. Nevertheless, I had hoped that York had some sort of extra regulations to ensure safe food handling practices. Commuters like me have the option of eating at home, but people who live in residence have to eat at York and it’s disappointing that they aren’t being looked out for a little more. It has definitely made me think twice before even buying a coffee on campus now.” – Stephanie Casciaro, fifth-year music and concurrent education student