BOLIVIA—The cafeteria at the Brunswick County government complex received an 85.5 sanitation score, prompting officials to temporarily outsource senior meals normally produced in the cafeteria.
The county cafeteria operates a retail cafeteria on the campus of the government center, provides meals for inmates at the Brunswick County Detention Center and provides meals for the county’s senior centers and homebound seniors through Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc.
Last May, Brunswick County Commissioners outsourced the cafeteria operations to ARAMARK, an international food service company—a move commissioners said would save more than $800,000 annually.
“Yesterday, our environmental health people went over to the cafeteria to do a re-inspection and the inspection did not go well. There were some fairly significant items ARAMARK didn’t address,” Assistant County Manager Steve Stone said.
The cafeteria received a score of 85.5, which allows for continued retail operation and inmate meals.
The state’s senior nutrition regulations, however, don’t allow for food produced in a facility that receives a score of less than 90.
Brunswick Senior Resources Director Jim Fish made arrangements to purchase senior meals from another vendor for about a week, Stone said.
“They were just going to buy pizzas or something today, which they sometimes do on Fridays,” Stone said, noting no seniors have gone without meals.
Stone said, to his knowledge, the cafeteria has never received a score less than 90.
“We, of course, have been in almost constant communication with ARAMARK about what’s gone wrong. They hired a new local manager for Brunswick County, but he wasn’t scheduled to start until Monday.
“We’re confident they can fulfill a corrective action plan. We don’t know how or why they let this occur. They generally have a very good reputation. They do food service at UNCW, and I think they get very high marks there. In any event, between noon and 1 p.m. Thursday, their kitchen and production facility just didn’t meet the standards,” Stone said.
Stone didn’t know what, if any, action commissioners would take.
“We’re reviewing other options, but our feeling is they will fulfill some sort of corrective actions,” Stone said.
Calls to an ARAMARK district manager for comment were not immediately returned.
