PSA: Food poisoning from dining halls
(This post has been edited for clarity.)
I am a freshman at UNC (class of 2030), and I would like to share my personal experience with UNC’s dining halls so far this semester.
In my first month of being here, I have experienced two bouts of foodborne illness, and have had some concerning experiences surrounding food safety.
I got food poisoning after eating chicken salad at Chase Dining Hall on my first day here. I believe this was a result of improper storage since it seems consistent with Staph food poisoning (a common result of leaving perishable food out at room temperature for too long, according to the CDC.) I am not 100% sure that this was the cause, but it was the first meal I ate that day and seems like the most likely possibility.
A few days later, I was served pork sausage at Lenoir Dining Hall that appeared significantly undercooked. I reached out to a friend’s parent who works in food safety and she corroborated my concerns. I reached out to CDS, but was told that I had nothing to worry about. I did not experience acute food poisoning, so I assumed that I had gotten lucky.
However, after dealing with continuous unusual IBS symptoms for over a month, I became concerned and decided to schedule an appointment with Campus Health. Testing showed that I had Yersinia enterocolitica, a foodborne pathogen that is primarily contracted through raw and undercooked pork (again, according to the CDC.) I went on antibiotics as prescribed, but ended up having to go to the ER due to the side effects. I was able to finish the treatment over a long weekend, and have been recovering ever since.
While I cannot definitively prove that UNC is the cause of my food poisoning, I do believe there is significant evidence pointing to this. I have never experienced food poisoning prior to starting here, and was eating almost exclusively in on-campus dining facilities when I became sick. I also do not typically eat pork, so it seems extremely likely that the undercooked-looking sausage I was served was the source of my Yersinia infection.
The experience of dealing with month-long foodborne illness, as well as the slow recovery process, has negatively impacted my ability to settle in to life at UNC. I’ve been forced to miss class, my ability to spend time with friends has been limited, and I’ve had less energy to dedicate to my schoolwork. I do not currently feel comfortable eating at the dining halls after these experiences, so I have been doing most of my cooking in my dorm. I am able to eat relatively nutritious meals, but I do still have a meal plan that is now essentially useless (aside from PLUS swipes.) While I’m fortunate enough that this hasn’t caused me too much financial burden, it’s still frustrating to have spent so much money on food that has made me sick multiple times.
I’m sharing this experience for two reasons. First, I want to remind anyone reading this to be cautious about any food you eat, particularly meat products. Foodborne illness is miserable, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I am also curious if anyone here has had a similar experience, and if so, how you’ve approached food/nutrition on campus. I’m happy to talk and compare experiences, and I’m very open to advice on what to do from here. If nothing else, I hope that this story will help someone avoid getting month-long food poisoning like I did.
I have no intention of raising these issues with CDS, or taking any legal action. I’m aware that these things can happen, and I’m sure that the vast majority of food served at UNC’s dining halls is completely safe. Overall, my experience at Carolina has been extremely positive, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here despite the rough start.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
Note: I am not looking for medical advice; please refrain from providing opinions on my diagnoses in the comments. Thank you!