Left Cold

by Adam DiLiddo

Worries over the aluminum containers which Marketplace Café has placed its meals within has led some to avoid reheating or even taking them entirely.

Sophomore Alexander Nutile expressed his concerns over text. “The food we choose has [aluminum] foil on the bottom of the container which means we cannot heat the food up in the container we received it in,” he said in a direct message. “This has led to some students not going down to the cafeteria to get food.”

“I would feel safe to use them if they were certified to not blow up [in a microwave],” sophomore Preston Warren said in a direct message on the Raven Nation app.

(Photo: Amazon)

While the likelihood of the containers causing explosive consequences is unlikely, worries about their potential danger are not unfounded. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, wrinkled foil can cause arcing, or sparks to be emitted within the microwave.

However, Mark Wagner is aware of such danger, as well as the fears of students. “We do believe [student] concerns are valid,” he said. “We would not recommend students put the foil container or the lid in the microwave.”

As General Manager of Sodexo Quality of Life Services, Wagner gave his reasoning behind the distribution of these containers. “It seems to keep the food hotter than some of our plastic or paper containers. We can also run it through the oven for some of our new dishes at the pizza station.”

Wagner also posed a solution that should quell any worries students might have about the containers. “Our recommendation would be that, if you desire is to microwave the dish later, your ask our staff for a different container,” he said. With this understanding, students will not have to wonder if – for their own safety – their food would be best left cold.