SU Catering failed county health inspection during ‘Citrus in the City’
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The Onondaga County Health Department’s Food Protection Section reported that Syracuse University’s Catering Services failed a food safety inspection at the university’s August 2026 “Citrus in the City” event.
At the event on Aug. 23, the health department conducted routine, unannounced inspections of each food vendor, including SU Catering. The university’s catering was among other food vendors participating in the annual event in Clinton Square, where local vendors and restaurants provide samples to first-year and transfer students to introduce them to the city of Syracuse.
In a statement to The Daily Orange, a spokesperson for the health department confirmed SU Catering had three major violations of the New York State Sanitary Code at the event.
“No food thermometer was available onsite to verify food temperatures, this was corrected during the inspection when staff retrieved a thermometer from their vehicle,” the health department spokesperson wrote.
Certain hot foods were found below the required minimum temperature, including two pans of cooked chicken and two pans of cooked falafel. The spokesperson said these pans of food were voluntarily discarded during inspection.
Syracuse.com reported that employees were also not aware of when the food items were cooked and placed in the serving dishes.
In a statement to The D.O., an SU spokesperson said the routine inspection noted issues with food temperatures and thermometers, handwashing access and an absent posted food permit before the SU Catering trailer opened at Citrus in the City.
“We corrected every item on-site before serving anyone,” the spokesperson wrote. “Any items that fell below hot holding temperature were discarded and replaced.”
According to the health department, SU Catering’s third violation was for not having handwashing sinks present within the food preparation area.
Staff members reported they were using nearby handwashing sinks, which the health department deemed “acceptable for the duration of this temporary event,” but SU Catering was advised that more appropriate on-site handwashing facilities were necessary for future events. Syracuse.com reported the employees were using sinks approximately 50 feet away, located next to porta-potties.
“We have since added two dedicated thermometers, a portable handwashing station, a pre-event checklist and a current permit kept in the trailer,” the SU spokesperson wrote. “Staff will also monitor food temperatures and chafing dish fuel throughout service.”
The health department said it issued a violation letter after the inspection, and SU Catering chose to sign a stipulation agreement admitting responsibility and agreeing to pay a $100 fine.
“Compliance with proper operational provisions will be evaluated at SU Catering’s next routine experience,” the health department spokesperson wrote.
The inspection date has not yet been scheduled, the health department spokesperson said.
