Tongji University apologizes for food quality after complaints about boxed lunches

Tongji University apologized on Thursday for failing to process food carefully enough for students but said an investigations found no parasites or parasite ova in their meals.

The apology was issued in a statement released by the university's logistics management after some students posted photos online of their lunch, claiming it included suspected tapeworms, bristles, insects and snails in pork and vegetables.

As the university is under closed-loop management and students are locked in their dorms, their meals are provided by the university canteens and delivered to their doorstep by faculty or student volunteers.

The logistics department said the university received tipoffs about problems in the salted pork in the boxed lunch of students on its Siping Road Campus on Tuesday.

It said it immediately launched an investigation into the whole process of food material purchase, inspection and acceptance, processing and distribution.

Yangpu District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau also entered the campus on Tuesday afternoon to inspect the university's food material warehouse, processing rooms and stored foods.

The university received feedback from the market watchdog on Wednesday night, saying no parasites or parasite ova were found, according to the statement.

But the logistics management said it did find some canteen staff had not processed the food materials carefully enough and failed to remove improper parts.

It apologized and promised to improve the sanitation work and quality of the meals to better serve its faculty and students.