Dining on campus will undergo a healthy upgrade this semester as Sodexo, Tech’s food and dining service provider, adds Mediterranean cuisine to their regular menus.
Over the next year GT Dining will implement the changes at the Woodruff, Brittain and North Avenue dining halls.
“During September and October we will feature a Spanish [dish] once per week, and during November and December we will feature Italian menu items,” said GT Dining Marketing Manager Andrea Preringer.
“We will also feature Brazilian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican [dishes] once per week from September 15th to October 15th in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. During the month of November, in honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month, we will feature special menu items as well,” Preringer said.
This promotion is taking place at 650 campuses in the country, all of which are sponsored entirely by Sodexo.
Sodexo’s decision to start this upgrade is a result of food trends research conducted by the company. According to the company’s press release earlier this month, this year’s research discovered that college students are demanding healthier food options, including Mediterranean cuisines and healthier versions of common food items.
The Mediterranean countries’ diets vary as much as any other region; however, data indicates that most people from the region demonstrate a lower incidence of heart disease and death rate than residents of the U.S.
Compared to the average diet in the U.S., people following this style of diet on average consume less saturated fat and more monounsaturated fat.
Fresher foods and seafood also factor in heavily to these diets. At Tech, several of the menu additions will be vegan and vegetarian-friendly, and seafood will be purchased locally whenever possible.
Another feature of Sodexo’s health promotion is a tie-in with food education via the Global Chef program.
Global Chef connects the multinational company’s executive chefs around the world with staff and students.
The program will also host special events at several campuses when possible.
Tech has been chosen to be a destination for Sodexo’s Student Board of Directors (SBOD) Program which is open to all students interested.
“We actually had a student from Georgia Tech take part in this program,” said Preringer. “Every Spring semester we advertise around campus in hopes that another student will take part in this great opportunity.”
Sodexo interacts with students’ opinions and concerns quite often through regular communication with some student organizations on campus, including the Student Government Association and Students Organizing for Sustainability.
SBOD, in particular, is an organized group that allows students to provide feedback to Sodexo on meal plans, sustainability, technology use, dining experiences and various individual Sodexo initiatives.
Preringer invites all interested students to apply to the program and find more information on their website ForStudentsByStudents.com.
The new menu items will be featured weekly with announcements on-site and via Dining’s website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Now only time will tell if Tech students embrace the new additions to the dining menus.