Broken Glass and "Slimy Green Beef" on the menu in VUW Halls
The quality of food in catered halls of residence has once again been called into question after residents were served beef with a green hue and shards of glass.
After a new menu was introduced to appease dissatisfied residents of Katharine Jermyn Hall (KJ), students were reportedly “pretty annoyed” to be served “green beef” on the first night of the new rotation, which was “rough on the inside but [also] quite slimy”. KJ resident Steven said the “bad” flavour “lingered for a long time”.
“Personally I'd describe the food as being shitty. [...] The situation is just deeply unfair to residents,” Steven continued. “I think that it just goes to show how little quality control there is involved in the catering here.”
The green beef debacle prompted the head of the hall to intervene, purchasing a large order of Domino's pizza to appease disgruntled and hungry residents.
Although the university initially refused to comment on the situation, information released to Salient under the Official Information Act reveals KJ received 14 complaints from residents about the dinner on 30 Mayand spent a total of $300.73 on pizza.
KJ Hall costs residents a total of $18,278 per year, equating to almost $500 per week. The food woes of the catered hall have been well documented, with the Instagram account @kathyjcuisine posting images of questionable kai since 2018.
The account recently shared images showing broken glass in two residents’ meals alongside the caption “not even a joke, just glass in someone's food” and “how tf does this happen”. Salient reported raw chicken being served, and previous cases detailing everything from maggots, moths, mould, slugs, fish scales, and stray hairs making an appearance in KJ food earlier this year.
Compass Group, the catering company operating in VUW halls, told Salient that they keep a close eye on the @kathyjcuisine Instagram account, saying, “We are aware of such alleged issues being shared on social media and always investigate these when posted.”
“We apologise for any instances where we have not met students’ expectations and always encourage them to give us direct feedback so that we can improve our offer,” said Simon Lipscombe, Managing Director of Compass Group New Zealand.
The university refused to comment on the situation, but told Salient they are “aware of reports of foreign objects in food circulating on social media, however we have yet to receive a complaint on this through any channels.”
Have you experienced dodgy food in your hall? Send your experience to news@salient.org.nz, and we’ll follow it up for you.