The Eau Claire City-County Health Department found 11 critical food service violations at the start of the semester in the university’s new Marketplace dining area in Davies Center.

Health officials conducted a pre-inspection of Marketplace on Sept. 5, two days after it first opened for business. The violations included food stored above the maximum temperature in a cooler, warm food displayed at a cooler temperature than required and improper plumbing in the establishment.

Usually, the health department does a pre-inspection before a business opens, but it was not aware of Marketplace’s opening date, said Kirsten Gierhart, city/county environmental health specialist.

Food service violations deemed critical by officials could have an immediate impact on public health if not corrected, Gierhart said.

Gierhart said the health department made four inspections of Marketplace after the initial Sept. 5 check. All of the violations were corrected by Sept. 19.

Most of the violations were corrected in time for the inspection on Sept. 6, she said.

Gary Prellwitz, director of the university’s meal provider Sodexho Campus Services, said all food stored or displayed at improper temperatures were discarded immediately.

Many of the violations were related to the working of the facilities, Vice Chancellor Andy Soll said Wednesday.

“They were things normally found during the construction phase,” Soll said.

Prellwitz said some of the structure-related violations needed fixing and that all of the recommended changes were made.

Soll said one reason for the violations may have been the short time Sodexho had to prepare Marketplace for opening.

“There were many things that needed to be addressed the first day,” said Soll, who gave the example of long lines at the initial opening that now have been resolved.

Student Senate President Sarah Schuh had not heard of the inspections or violations, but said she was pleased Sodexho corrected the mistakes quickly.

“I’m happy there was a quick reaction in moving to meet the guidelines,” she said.

Gierhart said the most serious of the violations – temperature-related items – were corrected in her presence. She said there were still some non-critical violations to be fixed.

There will be another inspection Oct. 17 to see if those violations, which include some plumbing problems, have been corrected.

Gierhart said whether Sodexho is reprimanded for future violations will depend on the severity of the violation, not on past transgressions.

“We try to educate rather than use enforcement,” she said.

If the violations are corrected for the Oct. 17 inspection, Marketplace will be inspected on a regular cycle, which Gierhart said would be every six months to one year.