2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Sodexho ignores repeated ingredient labeling requests
Lack of labeling puts students with special diets at risk
David Pfeffer
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Opinion
Since Sodexho arrived at Stevens in the beginning of the Spring 2007 semester, they have promised to make improvements in the availability of food for students with special dietary concerns. On Valentine's Day, when snow closed many of the restaurants in Hoboken, Sodexho made a tofu dish to accommodate vegetarians. When Sodexho first came in at Stevens, they made sure that all foods having ingredients that might conflict with a special diet were labeled. This was something that Aramark outright refused to do when asked last year.
However, Sodexho stopped labeling food ingredients three weeks into the semester. While labels outlining nutritional facts do sometimes remain, this does not help students with special diets. At approximately the same time, Sodexho also began cooking nearly all of their vegetables and other dishes in butter, rather than stir-frying in oil or steaming them.
Near the end of last semester, the Office of Residence Life formed a Food Committee to aid in transitioning Sodexho as Stevens' new food service provider. Sodexho has repeatedly acknowledged Dining Committee requests to fix the labeling with no actual change in their behavior. Sodexho has similarly ignored additional requests, such as always keeping marinara sauce at the pasta station in Pierce available for students who cannot eat meat or cream sauces.
Considering that nearly all Stevens on-campus residents are required to purchase a meal plan priced over $2,000, it is incredibly important that every student's dietary needs are met. The majority of students are able to eat all food that Sodexho prepares. However, students with dietary restrictions due to personal beliefs, special religious views, and allergies cannot eat anything without first making sure the food fits their diet. Individuals with food allergies are especially at risk: many times the chef is not available to answer questions about food content. Sodexho staff also does not seem to distinguish between soymilk and milk, putting both lactose intolerant individuals and people with soy allergies at risk.
However, Sodexho stopped labeling food ingredients three weeks into the semester. While labels outlining nutritional facts do sometimes remain, this does not help students with special diets. At approximately the same time, Sodexho also began cooking nearly all of their vegetables and other dishes in butter, rather than stir-frying in oil or steaming them.
Near the end of last semester, the Office of Residence Life formed a Food Committee to aid in transitioning Sodexho as Stevens' new food service provider. Sodexho has repeatedly acknowledged Dining Committee requests to fix the labeling with no actual change in their behavior. Sodexho has similarly ignored additional requests, such as always keeping marinara sauce at the pasta station in Pierce available for students who cannot eat meat or cream sauces.
Considering that nearly all Stevens on-campus residents are required to purchase a meal plan priced over $2,000, it is incredibly important that every student's dietary needs are met. The majority of students are able to eat all food that Sodexho prepares. However, students with dietary restrictions due to personal beliefs, special religious views, and allergies cannot eat anything without first making sure the food fits their diet. Individuals with food allergies are especially at risk: many times the chef is not available to answer questions about food content. Sodexho staff also does not seem to distinguish between soymilk and milk, putting both lactose intolerant individuals and people with soy allergies at risk.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
janice
posted 3/09/07 @ 6:40 PM EST
I am anaphylactic to soy and peanut heading for college next year...this is not encouraging to hear about...especially having no one to ask about ingredients available. (Continued…)
DJ
posted 3/11/07 @ 7:48 PM EST
Chartwells Food Service RULES!!!
My daughter is allergic to whey in milk and Chartwells has made her dining at school worry free for her and for me!
lee rolnick
posted 3/12/07 @ 12:50 PM EST
If you suspect a food allergy, you can get tested... Cell Science Systems providers of the Alcat™ test for food and chemical sensitivity, recently reported significant results from a 100 patient survey that indicates an 80% improvement for the alleviation of fatigue and IBS after patients implemented dietary changes indicated by results of the ALCAT food panel test. (Continued…)
Nancy
posted 3/14/07 @ 2:03 PM EST
Last fall, my son was on the plan that cost $2750 for the semester. If the semester is 17 weeks, this works out to $161 / week. Multiply this by 4.3 weeks in a month, and he's paying $692 / month for food. (Continued…)
Grant
posted 4/02/07 @ 8:59 PM EST
Nancy,
Here's why:
Two main reasons: one, Princeton and NYU are both considerably larger than Stevens; there is an economy of scale in having more students on a meal plan which drives down the prices. (Continued…)
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