Throughout 2024, college dining halls across U of T have received “minor” and “significant” health infraction notices from Toronto Public Health.

In light of this, The Varsity spoke to students who frequent dining halls at Victoria College, Trinity College, and CampusOne about their dining hall experiences.

Toronto Public Health reports 

In April, city representatives issued Burwash Dining Hall at Victoria College a significant infraction for failing to provide mechanical dishwashers with a rinse water temperature thermometer that’s not easily located. This infraction was corrected during a health inspection. Burwash also received a minor infraction for not maintaining clean floors in food-handling rooms. However, this infraction was not corrected during inspection. 

CampusOne’s cafeteria received a significant infraction in June for mechanical dishwashers not maintaining a water temperature at or higher than 82° Celsius, and for sanitizing utensils without proper cleaning solutions. This infraction was corrected upon inspection. 

Similarly, a Toronto Public Health Service inspection in October reported two minor infractions related to unclean floors and ceilings in Trinity College’s Strachan Dining Hall food-handling rooms. 

According to Toronto Public Health, minor infractions pose minimal health risks and must be corrected immediately. Significant infractions pose potential health hazards, must be corrected immediately, and require a re-inspection to check for compliance within 24 to 48 hours.

In a statement to The Varsity, a U of T spokesperson wrote in collaboration with Trinity College and Victoria University that Burwash Dining Hall and Strachan Dining Hall have “unconditionally passed all recent municipal food safety inspections.” 

They noted that “minor issues” are addressed by the university immediately. 

Student perceptions

When The Varsity spoke to students, they were more concerned with their overall dining hall experience. 

First-year humanities student Caden Mozes describes Burwash Dining Hall’s tables and food stations as clean even during peak hours. Instead of the environment, the food itself informs his experience. “Certain dishes are just bad. I’ve had greens absolutely drenched in garlic… and soggy fried fish,” said Mozes.

Another first-year humanities student, Kenneth Petrie, lives in CampusOne and echoes Mozes’ satisfaction with the sanitary conditions at his dining hall; though he believes the cafeteria may benefit from cleaning tables more rigorously. Petrie’s main complaint is the cafeteria’s disorganization, specifically with “making sure chairs go back to the tables they belong at, and [that there are] napkin boxes at every table.” 

Petrie also has concerns regarding food quality and “incredibly high” pricing. He says that “certain dishes are continually done wrong” and that there is consensus in the CampusOne community that the amount of garlic flavouring is often overpowering to the point where it “burns to eat.” 

Anna Kraemer — a first-year life sciences student from Trinity College — is largely satisfied with the hygienic conditions at the Strachan Dining Hall. However, she notes seeing leftover crumbs and grime. While she does not perceive the dining hall as unsanitary, she believes it might benefit from “cleaning parts of tables during the day while the hall isn’t busy.” 

First-year environmental studies student Nick Amenta’s main concern with Strachan is that he would like “larger helpings per serving.” He also noted fork shortages, expressing how he sometimes has to “eat dinner with a spoon.” 

Nonetheless, both Kraemer and Amenta describe their experiences as positive and did not express any major issues with the hygiene of the dining hall. 

Student feedback

Only a few students interviewed by The Varsity cited hygiene and sanitation as primary concerns. The organization and structure of the meal plans warranted the most complaints, especially among those with pre-portioned meal sizes.

Feedback forms and student-run food committees are some resources that can support student dining hall concerns across different cafeterias. 

Trinity College sends student feedback form responses to their food providers and the Trinity College Student Food Advisory Committee. Student representatives and staff on the committee meet monthly to “aid in quality control and accountability” of the dining hall experience. Possible feedback categories include food offerings, environment, and meal plans. Students can also contact the Food Services team at UTSG through a form on their website and at Victoria College through email.