10 Steps to Serving More Fruit and Vegetables
Each year, the intake of fruit and vegetables at UMass Dining increases. Not long ago, our budget for produce was about $1 million; this year, we expect to spend close to $3 million alone on produce. This is good news for everyone, since we all know how eating fruits and vegetables contributes to good health.
We also know that’s it isn’t always easy to increase our intake. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that Americans’ vegetable consumption hasn’t increased in a decade. Only about a quarter of adults eat vegetables at least three times a day, the same as in 2000. Meanwhile, we are eating less fruit. The health agency found that nearly a third of U.S. adults consume fruit or fruit juice at least twice a day, down from more than 34 percent in 2000. Compare this with guidelines from the American Diabetes Association, which recommends eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and it’s clear that most of us could do better.
We’re trying. My recent trip the California to attend the “Flavor, Quality and American Menus,” a summit at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, was inspiring because we addressed that very issue. In addition to lectures, we toured experimental orchards and The Center for Land-based Learning at UCDavis and tasted delicious, fresh figs, almonds, heirloom tomatoes, and melons. But it wasn’t all about sightseeing. The chair of the conference, Greg Drescher, reminded us that it’s our job to entice our customers to eat more fruit and vegetables.
For instance, chicken Caesar salad is a very popular item, but can we offer other choices that are more vegetable-rich? Our students have more sophisticated food preferences and they’re well traveled and socially conscious. They want big flavor on their plates, and they crave variety: tacos yesterday, sushi today, kefta tomorrow. Increasingly, they are asking how and where their food is grown and they are choosing what’s local, seasonal and sustainable. Eating more vegetables and fruits is part of the overall equation.
As one of the largest campus-dining operators in the nation, UMass has a responsibility to make it easier for our students to make healthy choices. Our goal is to double the consumption of fruit and vegetables by our students. Here’s how:
1. Purchase 27% of produce locally
2. Offer at least 6 fresh fruits daily
3. Serve more fruit-based desserts
4. Create more special events that promote fruit and vegetables (For instance, last week’s special, Kiwi Week, was a huge success. And we plan to do more events like it.)
5. Make vegetables the center of the plate by developing more action stations that cook vegetables and fruit in front of students
6. Incorporate fruit parfaits into the breakfast menu
7. Offer more world cuisine, since they are naturally rich in vegetables and grains
8. Serve more grilled vegetables as they are richer in flavor than steamed veggies
9. Make the salad bar more Mediterranean in style by reducing the variety of dressings but having better overall ingredients
10. Offer a contest to double the consumption of fruit and vegetables (For instance, students will be asked to truthfully write down the amount of fruit and vegetables they consume for any week in September, and then record the amount they eat during the week before finals in December for a comparison. If the amount has doubled, students will have a chance to win an IPad.)
All this is so we can create a culture of nutrition, world food, social responsibility and great tasting food on campus. Another thing? I am going to try to practice what I preach. So when it’s time for a snack, I’ll reach for an apple instead of a bag of potato chips.
This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu
You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong