by Laura Cummings

Ed Kane, assistant vice-president of university services, says Carleton food outlets experience approximately 20,000 customer transactions a day.

Passing by the same tired menu of mass-produced casseroles dreaded by students everywhere, Carleton University school officials are instead embracing the ever-changing, ever-evolving face of on-campus food and focusing on providing healthier, more conscious choices.

Carleton food outlets experience approximately 20,000 customer transactions a day, explains Ed Kane, assistant vice-president of university services, with the residence dining hall alone serving more than 3,000 meals a day. Some customers—whether staff, faculty or students—interact with food services on campus up to six or seven times throughout the day, he adds.

“There’s ethnic to organic to good old tried-and-true burgers and fries,” Kane says of the school’s on-campus offerings.

The past half-decade has seen a major shift in the way Carleton provides food, he continues.

“We’ve improved the dining service experience quality,” Kane explains, citing the $5 million in renovations to almost every campus facility, new options like in-house shawarma, vegan and halal and brand-name additions including Starbucks.

“If there’s a demand, we try to meet it,” he says. “We’re trying to provide as much choice as possible.”

Though a wide range of choices is one of the main drivers on campus, now more than ever Carleton foodies are on the lookout for healthier, more conscious options—but still knowing they can fall back on old favourites likes burgers or pizza, Kane continues.

The process of providing the food is also becoming as important as what’s served on the plate, he explains, with consumers concerned about everything from how it’s grown to where it’s disposed.

“Organic and sustainability are new buzzwords in the world of food right now,” Kane adds.

Carleton—which was “ahead of the curve” in its disposal of wet waste several years ago—most recently implemented a tray-less program in the residence dining hall this fall to cut down on water use, he says. Carleton is one of only 10 schools across the country to do so.

But while Carleton’s food services attempt to offer tasty options that are good for the body—and the environment—other school departments are trying to ensure staff and students know what to pick.

Though nutrition isn’t the most common issue cropping up at health and counselling services, it can play a significant role in a variety of different medical issues, explains Patty Allen, a campus health educator and registered nurse.

“It’s so common,” she says of poor nutrition, which can impact everything from gaining the infamous “Freshman 15” and to serious problems like low iron, fatigue and a weakened immune system.

More than ever Carleton foodies are on the lookout for healthier option... but they can still get burgers or pizza.

With proper nutrition a mystery for many students—and even some faculty and staff—a myriad of resources in health and counselling are devoted to the topic, including workshops, residence events and dieticians, Allen explains.

Though an “immense” decrease in activity levels is the big issue for a majority of students, not having a parent cooking at least one meal a day—as well as stocking cupboards with healthy choices—often skipping breakfast and eating late at night can mean packing on the pounds and bad nutrition.

“It’s partly food choices, but also when you’re eating,” Allen continues, pointing to the range of skills and advice health and counselling can offer to combat unhealthy habits and practices. “There’s a whole dynamic to it.”

Meanwhile, even student-run restaurants and food vendors are getting into the practice of serving up healthy alternatives, with coffee shop Rooster’s already offering a “pretty good” mix of options and undergraduate bar Oliver’s soon revamping its menu to include new items like rice, explains Erik Halliwell, vice-president of student services for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA).

For CUSA, the volunteer collective-driven Garden Spot has become one of its most significant sources for healthy meals, he says.

“It’s a fairly large shift for us, because it’s a pay-what-you-can, vegan option,” Halliwell says, with the outlet maintaining steady growth in popularity. “There are lines there now. (It’s reflecting) the wishes and wants of students and staff.”

But the wishes and wants of on-campus eaters has also meant the advent of brand-name outlets, though Halliwell suggests those vendors haven’t dissuaded student-run businesses.

“They’ve always been there, and we’ve always done fairly okay,” he says, highlighting the inviting atmosphere and unique offerings in Carleton’s student-run options. “The impact is negligible.”