Editorial

Healthier food options on campus are a must

By Student Voice

September 22, 2016

UWRF’s food provider, Chartwells, is heading into its second year of its seven-year contract. In June of 2015, Chartwells took over dining services from Sodexo. With the exit of Sodexo came the loss of many healthy food options for students.

Before Chartwells got here, Noodles and Greens was a transfer meal option in The Rapids. Students could walk up to the counter and fill out a slip to custom order salads, wraps and noodle dishes. A protein was allowed and so was a set number of vegetables. It was easy to pop in between classes, grab a salad and go. When this option disappeared, returning students who used to regularly order customized salads to take on the go for lunch came back to much less satisfying options.

Now, the University Center is full of bread and starches. The Rapids, the transfer meal area next to Riverside Commons, now holds three places: Sono, Rustic Range and Chef Jet. Sono is home to things like burritos and quesadillas, mirroring Chipotle, the popular but calorie-ridden food chain. Rustic Range has all of one’s fast food desires, including burgers, fries and cheese curds. Chef Jet, which replaced Noodles and Greens, has Asian-inspired dishes covered in a variety of sauces. Currently, pasta is being served at Pete’s Creek. Many of these foods are delicious. However, many of these food options are seriously lacking in nutritional value. Erbert and Gerbert’s also has tasty options, but again, lots of bread unless one goes for soup instead.

It’s not as if salads no longer exist on campus. Freddy’s C-Store still offers salads, and sometimes they are available in The Rapids from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on weekdays, but they can’t be customized to one’s liking. Someone with a quirky craving for dried cranberries and croutons is out of luck. Riverside Commons is always an option as well, because a full salad bar is available. However, according to the ala carte pricing document on the university’s website, it costs an adult almost $8 for lunch and over $9 for dinner if one is paying with cash and not with a meal plan.

The 'Freshman 15' is a real concern for many students, and the lack of healthy options offered by the university makes living a healthy lifestyle a difficult task. So please, Chartwells, give us back our salads.