Between Sept. 14-20, several food businesses on campus were allowed to remain open despite receiving health violations. Some of the offenders were Chef Shawarma and Le Marche in the Unicentre, Mike’s Place, and Grill Works and Miso in Oasis.
The businesses had 48 hours to improve their facilities — which they did, as of Sept. 21.
Even though it was for a short period of time, Carleton students should have been informed about these violations.
The potential repercussions of students becoming sick as a result of food poisoning could have been far worse than damaging the reputation of the businesses in question.
The inspection agency posted information of the violations on the Ottawa Public Health Services website, but this is not obvious to students looking to buy lunch.
The businesses themselves should have explicitly informed students of their shortcomings and the actions they’re taking to fix the problems.
Although the actions of the restaurant owners are understandable from a business standpoint, they show a serious ethical issue. They have an responsibility to ensure their establishments are safe because they sell to students who have limited options of where to eat on campus.
It should not be the responsibility of students to have to ensure their food is safe prior to consuming it, but rather that of the city and the establishments to ensure that students understand there could be risks with their food.