Food Safety
Environmental Health and Safety's mission is to ensure that food provided on campus is safe for consumption. The Environmental Health Section is responsible for conducting food safety inspections of permitted food service establishments on campus, following up on reports of food-borne illness, and approving the distribution of food during temporary food events by University affiliated departments, offices, and groups, as well as outside caterers and food service providers who prepare and/or serve food on campus property.
Campus Food Service Establishments
A Memorandum of Understanding between Illinois State University and the McLean County Health Department dictates that ISU, as a state university, is not subject to regulation by the McLean County Health Department. However, McLean County Health Department has regulatory authority for food vendors leasing University space, including Subway and Sodexo. Environmental Health and Safety employs Licensed Environmental Health Practitioners (LEHPs) who provide food safety inspections for University owned and operated food service establishments.
All University owned and operated food service establishments are inspected at a minimum of once each semester. Inspection reports are provided to establishment managers upon completion of the inspection. Critical violations require a follow-up inspection/consultation within 5 business days of the inspection. If a food establishment is found to pose an imminent threat to public health, it will be required to discontinue operation until violations have been corrected.
The University inspection criteria is based on the Illinois Department of Public Health 77 Ill. Adm. Code 750 Food Code and 2017 FDA Food Code.
Food-borne Illness
Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for receiving reports of suspected or confirmed cases of food-borne illness or food contamination on campus. EHS works with Campus Dining Services, University Housing Services, Student Health Services, McLean County Health Department, and others to report and discuss illness outbreaks, controls, preventative measures, and recommendations for food-borne illness prevention and process improvement.
If you or someone you know suspects that they have acquired a food-borne illness from an ISU food service establishment or temporary food event, please contact Environmental Health and Safety at (309) 438-8325 and complete McLean County Health Department's online Suspected Food-borne Illness Form.