San Diego public universities police their own food safety

SAN DIEGO — As much as local diners would probably rather not think about it, food poisoning is an unavoidable, if rare, risk that comes with eating out.

For most, those unlucky incidents end with an uncomfortable night, a visit to the pharmacy and maybe a call to the San Diego County Environmental Health Department, which inspects restaurants for safety and cleanliness.

However, for students, employees and visitors at local public universities, that’s not the place to call.

Colleges in the California State University and University of California systems have the option to establish their own environment, health and safety departments. These departments do everything from managing asbestos to handling hazardous waste, including inspecting restaurants on campus.

The three public universities in San Diego County — University of California San Diego, San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos — all have a health and safety department as well as a certified environmental health specialist on staff or on contract.