The Observer, March 23, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 21
Students have more healthy choices with Bon Appétit
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With the convenience of Leutner and Fribley meals, students tend to rely on the dining halls to provide them with nutritious food. Case's dining services provider is making sure that the students' trust is not misplaced.
On March 1, Bon Appétit Management Co. implemented its Healthy Cooking Initiative (HCI) designed to improve the quality and nutrition of food offered at its college dining locations across the country. For Case, this was a pretty simple operation.
"We at Case were already way ahead of the curve," said Emily De Mers, marketing manager for Bon Appétit.
The initiative includes the elimination of trans fats from all foods, offering alternatives to high fructose corn syrup, increasing the availability of complex carbohydrates, and portion control.
Case had already implemented versions of these reforms, so no big changes should be seen in the dining halls.
The elimination of trans fats follows a national trend toward healthier eating. Bon Appétit's goal is zero trans fats in everything from fryer oil and french fries to baked goods.
High fructose corn syrup will not be eliminated from the dining hall, so soda lovers can rest easy. However, there will be an increase in options that do not have the ingredient.
"Believe it or not, high fructose corn syrup is in almost everything," said De Mers. "Our challenge is to provide good drinks and offer healthy alternatives."
One way that Bon Appétit does this is by providing homemade jams and jellies that contain regular sugars rather than the unhealthy corn syrup as well as other homemade options.
"Ninety percent of our product is made from scratch," said Bob Lubecky, executive chef at Leutner.
In addition to making food from scratch, Bon Appétit also prides itself on obtaining ingredients from local vendors. Some ingredients, however, are being grown even more locally with the addition of an herb garden in Leutner.
"We currently have 300 plants, and hope to have about 1000," said Lubecky. The plants sit atop counters and walls where students can watch them grow. The plants are not certified organic, but are grown using organic practices.
Complex carbohydrates are being promoted in the dining areas by offering a whole grain at every station, whether it is bread, rice, or pasta.
"We provide a sort of stealth nutrition by putting the whole grains at the front, fresh vegetables in the middle, and proteins at the end," said Lubecky.
Lubecky also notes that the same meat-and-potatoes options are still being offered even with the addition of healthy alternatives.
"We're not getting away from the comfort foods of mom and grandma," he said.
The dining halls also try to offer an "in-balance" option at every meal, containing whole grains, vegetables, lean proteins, and a small amount of fat.
Portion control is also an important part of the initiative. Bon Appétit staff will dole out a set amount of vegetable, starch, and protein to limit overeating and cut down on waste when students don't eat everything on their plates.
"We have an 'all-you-care-to-eat' policy in our dining halls," said De Mers. "Students can always go up and get seconds if they want them."
Foods following the HCI guidelines are marked with a "well-being" sticker on the menus as part of Bon Appétit's Circle of Responsibility, which currently features vegetarian/vegan and farm-to-fork stickers, among others.
De Mers is happy about the move away from bad fat and preservatives.
"The food tastes good because it's natural," said De Mers. "In so much food today the flavors you taste aren't really the food, they're just preservatives, extras."
"Our job is to make sure these foods are available every day," said De Mers.
Bon Appétit is hoping for student feedback about their health initiatives and other concerns through the Student Voice Survey. The survey began this week and runs through next Wednesday.
The survey is meant to gauge student response and find areas that need improvement. Previous surveys led to the addition of sushi and hot foods to the dining service fare.
As an added incentive, students who participate in the survey will be eligible to win prizes including Starbucks gift cards and a Nintendo Wii.
The survey is available at http://studentvoice.com/BA/casesp07.html.
