Quarterly, the University’s cafeteria is inspected for health code violations.
Every day campus residents, mainly freshmen, head to the cafeteria for a maximum of three daily meals. Often, many of them wonder how safe and sanitary the food and facility are.
A month and a day after the first inspection of the year, the results may change the way students view eating in the cafeteria.
Six health code violations were discovered through the inspection of the cafeteria said Penny Barwick, health inspector. The first violation stemmed from improperly stored and sealed food.
The second violation found from the inspection was the need for new refrigeration facilities. The current refrigeration system provided improper cooling that could possibly make the food go bad prematurely.
Another violation found was the mold around the dishwashing area. The ceiling and walls were also infested with dirt and mold.
“I eat in the cafeteria every day and it’s pretty good, too much chicken though,” said Zipporah Bruce, an 18-year-old theatre student from Atlanta. “My favorite food is the curly fries. The only thing that gets to me is how there always seems to be lipstick and fingerprints on my cups and silverware.”
sanitation, many students enjoyed the food from the cafeteria.
“Some nights the food is spectacular and other times it’s just O.K.,” A.J. Friday, 20, theatre student from Cocoa Beach. “The ice cream and the omelets are always great.”
Another violation found by Inspector Penny Barwick was the need for the drain area at the ice machine to be cleaned.
“They mostly just have maintenance issues, not things that the kitchen would normally address. It can affect the food though but overall the cafeteria at
FAMU is good,” said Barwick, who has been doing inspections for about 8 months for the State of Florida Department of Health.
The next violation found was a broken hand-washing sink in the pizza area.
Washing hands is very important when food is being handled. The Food and Drug Administration found failures to comply with the hand washing guidelines in 73percent of full-service restaurants.
The last violation found was cracks in the floor near the dish area and the need to repair peeling paint on the ceiling and dish area and the baseboard in the dry storage room.
Many students around campus didn’t have any negative feedback when asked about the cafeteria.
Students said they enjoyed the food, if anything they wish it was more available to them.
Despite the violations, the cafeteria received a satisfactory.
Contact S. Lee Simpson at s_leesimpson@hotmail.com.