The last weeks of the semester always feel electric. Dorm hallways glow with string lights, peppermint-scented candles burn (quietly hidden from the RA), and students shuffle between final exams and holiday events. Cafeterias roll out seasonal menus, study groups order late-night snacks, and everyone seems to be passing around plates of cookies from someone’s mom. It’s festive, chaotic, and uniquely “college.”

But beneath all the sparkle and celebration is a reality most students never think about: food poisoning quietly spikes on college campuses during the holiday season. And it’s not from one dramatic outbreak or a single suspicious casserole—it’s from dozens of small habits that collide at the worst possible time.

The Holiday Crunch Becomes a Food Safety Breakdown

From late November

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