Campus eateries receive average score for food safety
University dining scores better than typical cafeteria
By Sarah Chacko
Staff Reporter

Movies are easy to rate. They’re either thumbs up or thumbs down. But when the Texas Department of Health rates food quality through demerits, what that data means to consumers may not be too clear.

Demerits cover a range of sanitation issues from food temperatures to food handling, according to the health department Web site. The site’s demerit chart shows that dirty food tables or counters warrant three demerits, but so does evidence of rodents or insects.

Jason Lamers, the health department planning and communications coordinator, said the system is very difficult for people to understand. It doesn’t distinguish the type of establishment, so you may be comparing convenience stores to cafeterias, he said.

“A cafeteria has more food in and out, more people around, more workers and, therefore, more hazards for violations,” Lamers said.

According to the Web site, scores only represent a snapshot of the facility at the time the inspector is present. The conditions could be better or worse when an inspector is not present, according to the department site.

Also, cleanliness is not always as it may seem. For instance, last December, La Madeleine French Bakery and Café on Main Street received more demerits than a Taco Bell restaurant on North Main Street.

As with any other restaurant, all of TCU’s on-campus eateries have to pass inspection as well. TCU currently has nine on-campus eating establishments, excluding Café à la Cart, eight of which have been inspected. The Main, Edens and Deco Deli share one kitchen, and therefore undergo one inspection, Lamers said. The new NRG eatery in the University Recreation Center has not yet been inspected since opening.

According to the Fort Worth health department’s Web site, many restaurants that students frequent off campus received more demerits on their inspections than did the on-campus eateries. Though there isn’t a failing score, state law requires that when total demerits exceed 30, the establishment must initiate immediate corrective action within 48 hours. None of TCU’s recent inspections received more than 10 demerits, according to last year’s records.

Anthony Palasota, consumer health specialist for the City of Fort Worth, has been inspecting TCU’s eateries for a year. He said the scores TCU and other neighboring universities receive are average, but overall, food safety in university cafeterias is above average.

Inspection records for the last year show that TCU’s eateries received fewer demerits than Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington. Demerit value can change based on an inspector’s discretion or the types of food items an establishment is handling, Palasota said.

Of the universities listed above, the most common violation was with handwash facilities and the food contact surfaces of equipment and utensils, which both warrant minor demerit value.

Palasota said the oversight, resources, equipment and a trained staff make the difference. Some restaurants are created by owners who just decided to go into the business with limited knowledge in food service and safety, he said. Food managers at university establishments also respond quicker to correct violations and use documentation as a management tool, he said.

Rick Flores, general manager for Sodexho, said in addition to the health department’s inspections, Sodexho holds itself to a higher standard implemented by National Sanitation Foundation International. Sodexho maintains a 95 percent minimum for food safety and 90 percent minimum for physical safety, he said.

The stringent policy Sodexho follows is in case something in the food processing system breaks down, Flores said. It can be tracked back to the delivery, where it came from, all the way back to the farmer and packer, he said.

“You can’t risk your reputation in this business,” Flores said.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 students are served daily on campus, depending on the day of the week, Flores said. Student’s likes and dislikes are the biggest challenge, he said.

s.e.chacko@tcu.edu