HUDS’ protocol mandates that the dining area in question is temporarily closed and Harvard’s Environmental Health and Safety and City Inspectional Services thoroughly inspect the facility, review recent menu offerings and temperature logs, in addition to interviewing the afflicted individuals to determine whether there is a pattern of consumption among them, McNitt wrote.

“This is what happened last year at Dunster-Mather,” Mayer said. “We voluntarily closed the dining hall because we did not want tainting.”

In that case, Mayer said, the illnesses which afflicted dozens of students last winter were not conclusively linked to HUDS, and are believed to have been viral infections.

In any case Harvard is fortunate not to have been the purveyor of foodborne illnesses, as Glickman said ensuring food safety is a difficult task, even for the most stringent institutions.

“Food safety is complicated,” Glickman said.

Glickman said he is particularly concerned about the recent outbreak of listeria in deli meat—which has led to hospitalizations, miscarriages and deaths—because the bacteria is not removed by proper cooking, as most consumers do not cook the ready-to-eat products being recalled.

“Listeria is a much tougher pathogen than some others,” Glickman said. “It worries me a lot.”

Glickman said listeria outbreaks appear to be on the rise, while cases of E. coli and Salmonella seem to be declining.

Although it is unclear exactly what caused the listeria outbreak, Glickman said listeria can be caused by improper cooking or unsanitary conditions.

“[These recent recalls] call into question whether poultry companies are properly complying with USDA food safety requirements,” Glickman said. “You would hope nobody is cutting corners.”