As is the case worldwide, food safety is one of the most topical issues in human life in our country as well. People in every segment of society should have access to adequate and balanced nutrition based on healthy, high-quality food. At universities, where large numbers of students study and reside and where many academic and administrative staff work, the measures taken with regard to healthy nutrition and food safety appear to be insufficient. At most universities, food and beverage services are contracted out to private companies, and the measures taken regarding food safety and quality remain limited to the resources of those companies.
The eating habits of many university students, who are away from the family environment, change along with their lifestyles, and this can indirectly affect their mental and physical condition as well as their academic performance. Studies have found that students generally pay little attention to regular meals and consume foods such as sandwiches and simit more frequently; that they eat inadequately and unhealthily due to a lack of nutritional awareness and financial difficulties; and that students living in dormitories do not eat healthily because of poor hygiene conditions and merely satisfy their hunger.
The healthiness and quality of the food served in the university environment is of great importance for the health and performance of the students and staff within the university. Food offered for consumption must not be of poor quality, stale or spoiled, must under no circumstances cause a foodborne illness, and should on the contrary be tasty, satisfying, nutritious and hygienically safe.
This web page has been designed and put into use by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, together with the Department of Food Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, in order to ensure that the food and beverage services at our University are of the quality and healthiness that our students and staff deserve.