It's OK to eat the food.
The Star Press reported Saturday the university had gone years without inspecting its dining facilities. This is only partially true, and the school is not putting its students at risk.
Ball State University's continual temperature checks for cleanliness and temperature consistencies has kept it in compliance with the Indiana health code.
Tony Proudfoot, vice president for marketing and communications, said Ball State is working with the Indiana Food Protection Program to determine how frequently its establishments should be checked. Contrary to full-service restaurants and grocery stores, Ball State has a combination of food serving establishments. Therefore not all of them require thorough inspections all the time.
The Micro Cafe and LaFollette Complex's American Buffet do not require the same frequency of inspections.
University employees check the temperatures in coolers and of foods every day, significantly reducing the likelihood of a student becoming ill from the food.
However, the university can only do so much. Students should practice common sense as well.
By doing things as simple as checking the expiration date on the milk students are about to drink or the cheese cubes they're about to eat, they become more health conscience.
In addition to benefiting their own health, students might find something a person who was inspecting missed. People aren't perfect and can make mistakes, so it isn't a bad idea to double check that the milk you picked up isn't past its expiration date.
Alerting the dining workers at the facility could prevent other students from getting sick.
The expiration date is not the only way to judge food quality. Take time to chew food and take note if it doesn't taste quite right or if the cheese cubes are a little more crunchy than appropriate.
Some food just goes bad faster than others.
By being safety-conscious food consumers and students will contribute to the overall health at Ball State and learn a little responsibility along the way.
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