Viral clip shows live worm found in University College London catered accommodation food

A viral clip has shown a live worm being found in food at University College, London’s catered accommodation.

Ramsay Hall residents have been left feeling “disgusted,” “scared,” and wondering if their food is safe to eat after a live worm was found in student Hamza Hashim’s salad and posted on social media. 

“When I found it, everyone on our table was too disgusted to finish their food,” Hamza told The London Tab.“Since then, most of us have stopped eating the salad at Ramsay because we’re scared of what we’ll find.”

Many students chose catered accommodation because of the convenience, but with fees reaching over £400 a week, they are now beginning to question the value. 

“Catering is convenient for us all and the biggest reason most of us chose Ramsay,” commented Hamza. “But if the safety of the food can’t be guaranteed, I’m not sure if there’s any benefit to living here.”

One student, who preferred not to be named, told us that they now prefer to buy their own meals, but resented paying for food they weren’t eating. 

Ramsay’s Hall Community Officer Pooja Murugakannan told The London Tab: “I’m deeply concerned about the incident with the food. No student should have to worry about the hygiene of their meals and it’s essential that high standards are upheld.

“It is the need of the hour to ensure quality food are provided to the students.”

As one of the few catered halls of residence available to UCL students, living in Ramsay can cost anywhere between £234.71 to £411.60 per week, which includes breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

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UCL’s catering services are outsourced to Gather & Gather, which supplies food for not only the catered halls, but also to multiple coffee shops and cafes across campus.

The EHO visited Ramsay Hall 4 months ago where they received a 5* rating – the highest possible food safety rating, however it is unclear as to whether the same standards are still being maintained.

The university has apologised following this incident, with a spokesperson saying: “We are very sorry that the quality of the catering in one of our halls of residence has fallen short on this occasion.

“The health and wellbeing of our staff and students is our number one priority and we provide high-quality, freshly-made food prepared onsite through our trusted catering partners Gather&Gather. We have raised these two incidents with Gather&Gather who are reviewing their extensive food-cleaning procedures. They have acknowledged that these incidents are completely unacceptable and have apologised to the student in question. They have also raised them with their suppliers and have assured us they will take the necessary steps to ensure food cleanliness at all times.”

Gather & Gather also confirmed it has raised the issue with its suppliers and assured the university that it will take necessary steps to uphold food cleanliness.

A spokesperson told The London Tab: “We take food safety incredibly seriously and are sorry to hear about this incident, which we are investigating thoroughly. Our teams work hard to provide a variety of nutritious and safe food options across campus, and in light of this incident, we have reiterated our food safety processes.”