Berries sit on grocery store stands on Sept. 8, 2026, at Publix.
A recent influx of food recalls and newly proposed changes to food-safety regulations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are raising questions about how Bama Dining responds to food safety issues on campus.
The Food and Drug Administration reported 29 food and beverage recalls in August alone.
Recalls currently affecting the state of Alabama include Greenwise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries for E. coli contamination; Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc.’s Outshine Fruit Bars for potential glass contamination; and Boticelli Foods’ Bettergoods Pistachio Nut Butter for potential salmonella contamination.
According to Bama Dining, managers are required to purchase food from local businesses when available. However, because Bama Dining’s supply chain is managed by Aramark, a global food services and facilities management provider, the University may be susceptible to institutional risks.
Bama Dining director Andrew Watling initially agreed to a request for comment on Aug. 3, but he did not provide a statement by publication.
On Sept. 4, The Crimson White attempted to interview a Bama Dining employee at Lakeside Dining Hall, but she stepped away and Watling emerged in her place. No interview took place.
Caroline Boyd, a freshman majoring in manufacturing systems engineering, said she is confident that Bama Dining would appropriately handle food recalls if any of their food products were affected.
“I think they care about us,” Boyd said. “I think that if something affected the students enough, Bama Dining would communicate it to us.”
Emie Behar, a freshman majoring in public health, expressed frustration with the current leadership of HHS and FDA.
“I think that it’s kind of gone to s—,” Behar said. “It’s hard to even trust what the recalls are saying.”
On March 27, 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced massive layoffs as part of a restructuring plan under the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. The plan called for a reduction of the HHS workforce from 82,000 full-time employees to 62,000, consolidation of 28 divisions into 15 and a cut in the number of regional offices from 10 to five. Layoffs began on April 1 that year.
Since then, HHS has faced extensive scrutiny following historic leadership turnover, unprecedented staff reductions and recent foodborne illness outbreaks.
Behar said it feels like new recalls are announced every day.
“Every time I go to Lakeside, I try to eat a salad, and though I still will eat the lettuce, I just get a little suspicious,” Behar said.
On Aug. 10, HHS proposed a food policy reform that aims to improve federal oversight over food safety and increase transparency for consumers by requiring manufacturers to notify the FDA when they determine that a substance is generally recognized as safe to add to food. Since 1958, manufacturers have not been required to notify the FDA when determining that a substance is GRAS.
Additionally, HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture submitted a final review to the federal government for the first-ever proposed definition of ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, though the proposed definition is not currently available to the public.
Dining and Cooking