Cherry tomatoes bounce off the counter. Sodexo workers curse under their breaths. Students’ stomachs grumble. Broccoli is sent flying.
Did the crazy squirrels finally break into the pantry? Is there a massive food fight under way? No, not at all. The malevolent cause of this unjust food fracas is due to the shady switch of the traditional, spacious salad containers at Garden Toss salad bar in Russell House for smaller containers with lids that are notorious for popping open.
The unannounced switch in the last few weeks has been a most unwelcome surprise as the spring semester finishes.
Garden Toss is one of the few on-campus dining options which offered a large volume of food on the meal plan. Vegetables are one of the few foods that are healthy to eat in large quantities. Being less full induces students to snack more frequently on low-nutrient density foods.
Now with the smaller containers, students who want to feel full are more likely to choose the abundant options high in fat which will cement poor diet. College is the period in which many healthy habits are either instituted or ignored. Providing a healthy option in which students can eat a large amount of food exposes students to healthy eating which they would be unlikely to attempt on their own.
Reducing the size of the containers (the fluid volume of the new one is less than half of the old one) severely limits the volume a student can purchase ... all for the same price. Nice.
The managers at Russell House have offered a couple reasons for the change. The new containers contain less plastic — but such a change is not credible due to the total disregard for recycling plastics in Russell House. If Sodexo at USC is serious about their carbon footprint, I suggest they supply recycling cans.
The other reason is that the new containers minimize the leftover food that is thrown out. But the benefit of the old containers is that they could easily store leftover food for a healthy snack.
The poor explanations provided for the switch mean that the reduction in container volume was profit-driven, which is pernicious — it compromises the ability of the university to provide healthy eating for its students on meal plan.
Discouraging healthy eating by providing less volume for the same price hurts the health of students. If the university purports to emphasize the well-being of students, I hope the students with meal plan can expect a speedy return to the original salad containers at Garden Toss.