Health department cites violations at Point Park dining hall after student newspaper report

Images appearing in Point Park University’s student newspaper this week show unsanitary conditions that the publication says it found in the Downtown campus’s dining facility inside Lawrence Hall.

One of the photos published Wednesday in The Globe depicts a red pepper “appearing to be moldy in the salad bar.” Another shows “a black substance which appears to be mold” on a slice of bread.

In yet another image, potatoes are shown on a plate with what the newspaper said appear to be bugs. In another, the Globe showed what it says is a slice of banana bread with hair on it

The story ran under the headline “Mold in Dining Hall – Quality Issues Persist in Food.” Captions attached to half a dozen photos indicate they were taken between Aug. 29 and Sept. 24.

Asked about the report and its assertions, Point Park spokesman Lou Corsaro deferred to CulinArt Group, the university food service provider.

An official with the company in Rye Brook, N.Y., told TribLive that it has no higher priority than the health and safety of students. A statement from the firm read in part:

“We have a strong track record of health inspection scores. In fact, the facility has maintained its Green Placard Status, which means it is ‘inspected and permitted’ to operate with no consumer alert,” the statement read in part. “However, we take every concern very seriously and recognize there are always opportunities for improvement.”

It added, “We are in full compliance with city and state guidelines to ensure food safety and sanitation practices are adhered to at the highest levels.

“As such, we will continue to make use of our resources including, but not limited to, Risk Management, Quality Assurance, Culinary, Marketing and a Certified Independent Third Party Sanitarian.”

But an inspection conducted by the Allegheny County Department on Health Department on Wednesday, the same day the story appeared, turned up violations, including two deemed as high risk.

The high-risk violations included cross-contamination preventing, and cleaning and sanitation. The lower-risk violations ranged from date marking of food and pest control to handwashing facilities. The report recommended a series of corrective actions for the violations.

Cassandra Harris, 20, editor in chief of The Globe and a digital journalism major from North Huntingdon, said no one has approached the publication to dispute its accuracy.

She said the Globe strives to be a watchdog for campus issues.

“The reason for doing it now is just because over the years, Point Park has not had good quality food, and … we can make change by publishing these kinds of things.”

The newspaper quoted students with varied impressions of the eatery, its service and food quality from “pretty good” to “the dishes are dirty.”

Point Park is a private university that enrolls about 3,300 students on its Downtown campus.

CulinArt also said as part of its statement, “Equally important to us is the desire to hear directly from the students. We encourage students to raise any issues directly with our team if they occur. This allows us to immediately investigate a situation and reach a solution very quickly.”