Many students complain about eating food from Sodexo. Some complain about the taste, some complain about what it does to our stomachs, and some complain that the options are too limited for those who have “irregular” diets.
I’ve been a vegetarian since last June, I chose this lifestyle because eating meat made me sick. Since becoming vegetarian, I’ve been avoiding the dining hall because I haven’t been getting enough nutrients while eating there. I’ve been consistently tired and unmotivated since making this decision. My tiredness and lack of motivation seem to be a part of the college student life, but I still haven’t felt like myself lately. I don’t feel like that when I’m cooking for myself, so I’ve recently started eating more meals outside the dining hall. I have felt healthier and more productive since doing so, but not everyone has that option. This should not be the case.
As a sophomore, I have had the all access meal plan for two years now. However, because I didn’t transition into being a vegetarian until this year, I wasn’t aware that our dining hall had so many accessibility issues. I’m not allergic to any foods and I’m not gluten or lactose intolerant, so I had no previous experience dealing with limited food choices. The hype of being a freshman in college probably also clouded my views.
But as months pass, Sodexo keeps offering the same foods on repeat, meaning that students tend to eat the same meals whether they have a “regular” diet or not. As a vegetarian, however, my options repeat themselves with much more frequency. Salad, pizza, bagels, cereal, potatoes of varying kinds (sometimes all of this on one plate)…and repeat. Occasionally I can eat soups, but Sodexo isn’t exactly consistent with vegetarian soup options. Furthermore, the days that get promoted for having special food usually has no vegetarian options except the desserts. Desserts don’t make a meal.
Last semester, I had trouble knowing what to eat on the weekends because there were never signs put out about what was in the food. This was troubling not only for me, but also for my friends. One of my friends is lactose intolerant and allergic to onions, and another is allergic to tree nuts. Both have narrowly avoided severe allergic reactions after eating in the dining hall.
I have another friend who is both lactose and gluten intolerant, and another who can’t eat red-40 food dye. When the five of us eat dinner together, it’s quite a struggle to find food. Usually the only foods we can all eat are the vegetables and fruit, and those are usually poor quality with little variation.
Having more vegan options would open up further options to everyone. Those that are lactose intolerant can eat them and many vegan dishes are gluten free too. The dining hall has lactose-free and dairy-free milk, but very rarely do they have lactose-free ice cream or a substitute. Dairy free cheese options would be great too, then lactose intolerant people, vegetarians, and vegans can have it as well.
Additionally, many of Sodexo’s desserts are made with food coloring (such as red-40 instead of natural ingredients for color, which limits those who are sensitive to those ingredients. Most of the desserts are not vegan-friendly either. I’m actually not sure I’ve ever seen a vegan friendly dessert in the dining hall except, occasionally, the sherbet. Are there other options available for those who ask? Maybe. But if so, there should be signs to let us know what other options there are. Since freshman and sophomores are required to have all access meal plans unless they have a dietary exemption, which may be hard to get (i.e. if a dietary problem arises during the semester) then the dining hall should provide healthy options regardless of dietary restrictions. But it doesn’t. Not for those with dietary needs. There will always be some limitations, but Sodexo should improve certain dining options. For instance, signs should be more accurate and a larger variety of foods should get cycled through each week. If we are paying so much for the food, then we deserve more of a say in what is served.