Food at dorms event may not have been inspected

By Engy Aly
@EngyAly7

Some students fell ill after eating catered food at “The Carnival” dorms event two weeks ago because the Food Services office may not have inspected the food before it was served, The Caravan has learned.

Arabiata’s Manager of Quality Control Ahmed Tuhami said that internal investigations carried out by his company showed that the caterer took “all the procedures to ensure the highest standards of food safety”, but that the Office should have checked on the food as well.

Although Tuhami later backed away from his statement, another source corraborated it.

Associate Director for Residential Life (ResLife) Maissa Ragab also told The Caravan that food services did not check on the food.

But she believes the reason the food wasn’t inspected was because ResLife’s choice to have Arabiata cater the food was a last-minute decision.

Meanwhile, Senior Director of University Food Services Wafaa Sadek told The Caravan that they were alerted of the dorms welcome gathering by ResLife after the event took place.

She said that “the Food Services’ approval should have been secured prior to the event as per university food policy”.

More than 20 students were reported to have fallen ill after the welcome gathering organized by ResLife in late September, with some citing abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms of food intolerance.

Only eight, however, reported their symptoms to the clinic.