In lieu of the second installment of our special investigative report on campus food safety, the Sundial is publishing this response to the first part, published on Oct. 15, by Betsy Corrigan of The University Corporation. The second part of the series will appear in the Oct. 29 edition of the Sundial.
As campus food service operator, The University Corporation (TUC) serves thousands of customers daily. TUC takes very seriously its responsibility to CSUN students, faculty and staff, and is committed to delivering quality products and service to our customers while ensuring their safety. With 18 locations across campus and 18 publicly recorded ‘A’ grades, there can be no doubt that TUC is serious about food safety.
Receiving a grade of ‘A’ is not a simple task. There are numerous categories that are part of the inspection process including storage, ventilation, refrigeration, personal practices, temperature monitoring, lighting, plumbing and fixtures to name a few. Management and staff work hard every day to maintain health and safety standards.
The Los Angeles County Department of Environmental Health is a valued partner in ensuring food safety. Their evaluations are useful tools that assist food operators in correcting potential problems. TUC welcomes their expertise and recommendations, and acts quickly to resolve any potential issues.
Educating and training food handlers is required by law. TUC Foodservice’s employees are trained to protect their own health and the health of others, and to abide by California safe food handling rules and regulations. At least one employee (more if the facility has extended hours) in each unit must be a certified food handler. Today there are over 35 certified food handlers working in our kitchens and serving food to our guests every day. ServSafe certificates are on display and available for inspection, as required by the Health Department.
TUC is committed to keeping its customers and staff safe and will take extraordinary measures as needed. For instance, with the HlN1 virus outbreak, TUC was proactive and responded to this serious threat by investing in hand sanitizers for customer use in all our units, purchasing specialized serving utensils with metal ions that prevent bacterial growth, and sanitizing public areas with antibacterial wipes at least every thirty minutes or more frequently as needed.
Sundial reporters did not include this information in the October 15, 2009 article on food safety. Rather, the Daily Sundial chose to run an article clearly designed to shock. That is unfair to TUC and unfortunate for Sundial readers.
Sincerely,
Betsy Corrigan
Associate Director, Foodservices
That’s what “news” is these days. The press likes to scare the public and the public likes to be scared. Just watch all the hype on TV when we get a little rain in Los Angeles. You’d think the end of the world is near.
With sadness I read your article on campus food service (TUC). I manage one of the units on campus. My unit was not mentioned in your article. Your article has hurt us all, mangers, cashiers and cooks. At TUC we are a family who care about our students, we honor and we respect them. We make their food with love and care. If one student got sick because she ate at Panda Express, it is not because the food is bad, it maybe because she is allergic to soy sauce or fried food. Myself, I am allergic to bananas, but I still eat them. Should I blame the market or the farmers? All the employees constantly attend seminars on Health Department regulations and customer service that are paid by TUC in order achieve our goal of perfection. We would love to read about the beauty of our campus or how peaceful our students are. After reading your article I felt like a student who studied very hard for the finals but the professor failed him.
Nowadays, the state only cares about balancing the budget instead of food safety. I’m a former CSUN student, and at times I use to brown bag my lunch or ate at home instead taking my chnces of eating on campus during my later years at CSUN.
More work needs to be done on food safety than ever; we’re already battling the H1N1 virus. You don’t need another problem on your hands.