We all know Lenoir Dining Hall — the place of incredibly kind staff members, home to excellent burrito bowls, deliciously greasy pizza and breadsticks, sushi and of course some of our campus faves: Chick-fil-A and Med Deli, for example. But there are also some issues with Lenoir Dining Hall — problems that we can’t overlook. Soggy pasta, rock-hard grilled cheeses, uncooked vegetables and more recently, undercooked chicken and worm-filled fruit.
According to an article by the DTH, students found undercooked chicken nuggets served at the Top of Lenoir, among other evidence of ill-prepared foods. After one student tweeted a picture of his plate of undercooked chicken nuggets, Carolina Dining Services messaged him directly and offered him a voucher for a free meal.
What about their response to the worms? A pass to their fruit supplier, whom they claim is responsible for the worm supplier. They promised to stop working with this supplier or using their product.
This isn’t enough. Finding worms and undercooked meat being served at a dining hall accessible to UNC’s almost 20,000-person undergraduate population is disturbing, and not something one can just forget the next time they’re biting into Lenoir’s flavorless pineapple. It’s disgusting, and it’s unhygienic. And a meal voucher isn’t going to solve it.
What’s the solution? CDS’ food supplier is Aramark, known for its unsanitary and unsafe working conditions, low employee wages and serving spoiled food that’s come into contact with rodents and maggots. These are known facts — facts that have been reported on repeatedly, and facts that should have been considered by CDS in decisions to continue their business dealings with the supplier. Why didn’t anybody see the worms when they placed the food in the dispensers or handed us the plates? The solution is to stop this partnership. It doesn’t serve the students, and it doesn’t even serve the University.
Other desirable solutions? Med Deli TOL takeover, and let’s throw Sitar in there, too. Unlimited plus swipes, please, so that students have more cooked and fresh meal options.
The bottom line is CDS needs to do more than just issue an apology. They need to stop their alliance with any food distributors or cooking styles that enable these unsanitary occurrences. This isn’t the first time they’ve received food complaints, and until they adopt these changes, it certainly won’t be the last.
