On behalf of the students at Endicott College,

A recent email went out from Endicott College regarding a "stomach bug" making its way around campus. The college was quick to shoot down this "stomach bug" being connected to food from the dining hall - which caused a bit of an uproar in the Endicott Community, as many students feel that they got this illness from the dining hall. The email states that "these illnesses are likely the result of a 'stomach bug' and not a food-related illness." The use of the word "likely" proves that the college is unsure of whether or not the information they are giving us is actually true.

So I did my research on Sodexo, the company in charge of the dining services at Endicott College.

Sodexo is an international company with over 400,000 employees. All you have to do is google "Sodexo scandals" and you'll find all of the information I am about to provide.

Over the years, Sodexo has been involved in many scandals and ethical dilemmas. We can begin with saying that the food quality is questionable. From my experience alone, I've gotten a fair share of undercooked meat, soggy or rotten fruits and vegetables, cold meals, and hair in my food. Every evaluation Sodexo has received from larger companies have been negative.

In 2013, Sodexo lost numerous accounts due to horse DNA being found in some of its products. This is most likely due to Sodexo buying from foreign producers for better cash rebates. The horse DNA was fed to 2300 different facilities across the globe. 

In 2007, Sodexo was a part of a scandal in which 3,000 pounds of their chicken had listeria contamination. The listeria chicken was served in several dining halls across the United States. 

In 2012, Sodexo had an outbreak of food poisoning (interesting) in Germany - it was found that their frozen strawberries were the cause. This outbreak effected more than 11,000 children. 

On a few social media accounts affiliated with Endicott College, there are multiple videos of bugs and hairs in the food at our very own Callahan Dining Hall - and there was no response from the college regarding these issues. First we find out that there is in fact bugs in the food (with literal evidence), and we don't even get an explanation?

This pattern of food and safety violations is extremely concerning, and the students at Endicott College are infuriated. I am in no way claiming that there is horse meat at our specific dining hall, or that there is listeria in the chicken - however, just because we can not confirm that this is happening on our very on campus does not make us any more satisfied with the poor quality food. 

First and second year students at Endicott College are required to have the deluxe meal plan - which is $2,506. These students are paying $2,506 for a meal plan that majority of them do not want, especially as this new information regarding Sodexo is brought to light on campus. I know that I personally have not been to the dining hall in a few weeks - and I did not get a "stomach bug" - and many students I am associated with said the same thing. Endicott College needs to take accountability for the risks and concerns and begin taking steps towards a healthier change - and that begins with rectifying the issues revolving the Sodexo company and giving the students food that they actually want to eat (and isn't a risk to their health).

The photo shows (1) a bug in a Callahan salad and (2) undercooked chicken served at Callahan.