A UTSC student reported finding an insect in her meal from Asian Gourmet, a restaurant located in UTSC’s Student Centre, posting photos of her meal to Facebook after finding a large winged insect, likely a butterfly or moth, in her bok choy.
“At the time I thought it was just a burned or overcooked piece of the bok choy,” Amanda Fontanilla told The Varsity. “So I went to take it out, but initially I thought it was strange to see an inner piece of the bok choy to be burned.”
UTSC media relations told The Varsity that the administration had not been informed of the incident. However, UTSC Media Relations Officer Don Campbell confirmed that they would follow up with the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) to address the matter. “Our Food Partnership Department, which licenses all the other food outlets on our campus, takes food safety seriously,” said Campbell.
All food vendors operating in the Student Centre are licensed in separate agreements, with the SCSU as the landlord. SCSU President Sitharsana Srithas did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment.
Fontanilla approached the SCSU regarding her experience and was given executive director Kavita Siewrattan’s email. She said she will be following up with the union. Additionally, she reported the incident to the Restaurant and Food Service in Canada Agency.
Fontanilla said she believes that Asian Gourmet should undergo a health inspection, including cleanliness and health procedures in food preparation.
“It was a terrible experience, but to be fairly honest, I wasn’t too surprised to see it there because I [heard] about someone finding a body of a cricket or something, but like most people, I thought it was just a rumour,” she added.
The Varsity has reached out to Asian Gourmet for comment.
