Student Engagement Drives Higher Education Foodservice

Students are paying closer attention to where their food comes from and want transparency around sourcing and sustainability. PHOTO COURTESY COMMON MARKET

Fresh produce moves to the head of the class in university dining.

Students at Pitzer College, a private liberal arts school in Claremont, CA, find produce plentiful at every meal. Across 17 dining halls and eateries, fruits and vegetables anchor a dining program, operated by Bon Appétit Management Company, that is focused on wellness, customization and flavor.

As a sample, the menus of Executive Chef Marcos Rios, who sources much of his produce through Vesta Foodservice, in Santa Fe Springs, CA, offer build-your-own salad bars with mixed greens, seasonal vegetables, grains and cheese; watermelon-and-tomato “poke” bowls with or without tuna, the latter swapping in plant-based ingredients in place of fish; and composed salads including a cherry tomato and watermelon salad, a roasted-vegetable quinoa salad, and a beet-and-greens salad with orange segments.

That’s not all. There’s also a plant-based taqueria for vegan and vegetarian students and guests, with selections, such as cauliflower al pastor, soyrizo-and-potato tacos, and portobello fajitas, with black and pinto beans, cilantro rice, and toppings like cabbage-and-pico slaw, guacamole, cilantro and onion, and salsa verde and roja.

And Pitzer College is far from alone. Fresh produce is becoming an increasingly visible part of many dining strategies in higher education.

“When we look at collegiate dining today, there are multiple priorities, and produce helps address each of them,” says Robert Nelson, chief executive officer of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), in East Lansing, MI.

“When we look at collegiate dining today, there are multiple priorities, and produce helps address each of them.”

— Robert Nelson, National Association of College & University Food Services, East Lansing, MI

“With produce, you can focus on your wellness message, on sustainability, and it is being used as part of innovation efforts in designing and developing new products and menu items,” Nelson explains. “It’s certainly part of student engagement because it’s all about telling the story.”

CAMPUS PRODUCE OPPORTUNITY

Fresh produce has become a cornerstone of college and university (C&U) dining.

“It’s not a trend in this segment so much as a foundation,” says Huy Do, market researcher and trendologist at Datassential, a Chicago, IL-headquartered food and beverage industry market research platform.

“Salad appears on 95% of C&U menus, broccoli on 90.6%, corn on 86.8%, and vegetable sandwiches on 89.9%, reflecting how central produce is to the everyday dining experience on campus.”

Student demand is pushing this forward, Do adds. “Thirty-seven percent of college students say they carefully watch what they eat or follow a strict diet, and 35% follow diets that limit animal products, creating strong institutional pressure to build menus around fresh, plant-forward ingredients.”

Most operators are responding with a hybrid approach, Do says, as 79% say they offer a consistent core of daily staples alongside rotating options, “meaning produce is showing up both as a reliable everyday offering and as a vehicle for seasonal and trend-driven menu variety.”

Opportunities for the produce industry in C&U dining score an A-plus.

“My organization spends $5 million a year with our produce company. That’s a lot of produce,” says Steve Giardini, senior director at Michigan Dining at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, which feeds some 15,000 students, representing all 50 states and over 60 countries, on meal plans daily.

“My organization spends $5 million a year with our produce company. That’s a lot of produce.”

— Steve Giardini, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

“Overall, the two highest demand items our students consistently say they want are more berries and avocados. These are on our menus pretty much all the time.”

THE BIG THREE DRIVERS: PLANT FORWARD, LOCAL & GLOBAL

Plant-forward wellness, local sourcing, and globally inspired flavors are the three leading trends driving increased consumption of fresh produce in college and university dining.

“What’s driving all of it pushes the same way,” says Jin Ju Wilder, chief executive officer of Vesta Foodservice, dba L.A. Specialty Produce Co. That is, “Gen Z health and climate values, more diverse campuses, chronic labor constraints, budget pressures, and fresh produce, prepared efficiently and merchandised so it’s craveable.”

Menus in the dining halls at the University of Michigan are more than 50% plant based, with produce in side dishes as well as center-of-the-plate items, says Giardini. “For the last two and a half years, all our burgers have been a blend of ground beef and mushrooms. You get a nice juicy burger, and it’s gone over really well.”

Vanderbilt University Campus Dining, Nashville, TN, offers its “Power Plant” dining concept inside one of its dining halls. Offerings include custom-built bowls featuring whole grains, leafy greens, roasted veggies, and plant-based proteins; vegetarian burgers garnished with avocado, bean sprouts and red cabbage; globally inspired sides such as Moroccan chickpea and carrot salad; and cold-pressed, fruit- and vegetable-based juices made in-house from scratch daily.

“When we rolled out this concept two years ago, we saw a 70% increase in students going to that dining hall and a 30% reduction per student in animal protein consumption. That tells us our students want plant-based,” says Brian Cochrane, Vanderbilt’s director of culinary operations.

GO LOCAL

Students are paying closer attention to where their food comes from and are seeking transparency around sourcing and sustainability, according to Michael Gilligan, senior director, brand management for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, a division of Philadelphia, PA-headquartered Aramark, which manages dining halls, cafes, catering, and retail operations in over 275 C&U nationwide.

“At Towson University, approximately 60% of produce utilized across dining operations is sourced from our local partners and regional suppliers, including seasonal vegetables like squash, peppers, lettuces, potatoes, and carrots, as well as rotating fruit selections such as multiple apple varieties offered daily.”

The Common Market, a Philadelphia, PA-headquartered nonprofit regional food distributor that serves over 120 C&U’s, has been at the heart of this strategy, Gilligan adds.

“The most consistent trend we see across all four of our regions (Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes, and Texas) is a focus on seasonal and local sourcing, and the willingness of campus dining chefs to let that influence their menus rather than fighting national procurement calendars year-round,” says Caitlin Honan, communications and marketing director.

“The most consistent trend we see across all four of our regions is a focus on seasonal and local sourcing, and the willingness of campus dining chefs to let that influence their menus.”

— Caitlin Honan, Common Market, Philadelphia, PA

The nonprofit also provides campus dining operators with ready-to-use print and digital profiles that spotlight local farms and producers across cafeterias, menu boards, and social media.

“Grape tomatoes grown in the Southeast are our top-selling fresh produce item with our university accounts,” Honan says. “Romaine lettuce is also an anchor item across both the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic. Hydroponic greens, sweet potatoes, apple varieties, and sliced mushrooms also make up the bulk of top fresh produce sales across our regions, representing more staple, cold-weather options.”

On the West Coast, local sourcing is a preference at the University of California (UC), with campuses in Berkeley, San Diego, Davis, Los Angeles, Merced, and Santa Cruz.

“We’re working with farmers and trying to identify where UC can commit to buying an entire crop,” says Marilyn Biscotti, the Oakland, CA-based senior category manager, Hospitality & Food, and co-project director of the Global Climate Leadership Council.

“We do help some farmers get into distribution. A lot of times, they don’t have the trucks, insurance, or logistics to get onto campus. We help them navigate that.”

Top trending produce on UC campus menus includes leafy greens like kale, spinach, and arugula for salad bars and grain bowls; Asian veggies such as baby bok choy, daikon, and gai lan; tropical fruits including mango, Asian pear, and Fuyu persimmon; and cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts with global spice blends.

TASTE THE DIVERSITY

Operators are increasingly using globally inspired and flavor-forward preparations to enhance vegetables, salads, and produce-based accompaniments, says Datassential’s Do.

“Among the fastest-growing produce-related preparations in C&U are marinated artichoke (+26% four-year growth), pickled vegetables (+24%), elote (+23%), jackfruit (+26%), and charred preparations (+20%).

“Students want bold flavors and authenticity, which global cuisines naturally provide through inherently vegetable-forward dishes,” says Deena Ensworth, senior content manager for Markon, in Salinas, CA.

“A few popular college meals we’ve noticed growing in popularity are global breakfasts like banh mi with pickled vegetables, shakshuka, and chilaquiles; street corn- and Korean kimchi-inspired bowls; Middle Eastern mezze plates; and mushroom birria tacos.”

The dining services at the University of Minnesota, in Duluth, MN, work with students to create multicultural dinners. “Not only do we help support these events, but we also take some of those menu pieces and bring them into the dining hall,” says director Betsy Helgesen, whose department feeds over 7,000 meal-plan students daily.

“One of the dishes that does really well for us is a butternut squash curry. It’s very popular with our students and with our guests, and by its nature, but not by its design, it is vegan.”

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Engaging University Students Beyond The Plate

Fresh produce goes beyond the plate in college and university dining.

“We use a variety of methods to promote produce, such as Harvest of the Month, where we highlight an in-season fruit or vegetable that we’re featuring in menu items in our dining centers that month,” says Kerry Paterson, director of campus dining and catering, for University Housing & Dining Services, at Oregon State University, in Corvallis.

“We also utilize a lot of food photography on the digital screens in our dining locations and social media to showcase the variety of fresh and tasty menu items we’re offering.”

The Wonderful Company recently participated in a ’Wonderful Night’ event at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“Students used our Wonderful products as part of a non-alcoholic mixology competition,” says Nancy Johnson, senior director of foodservice business development and sales for the Wonderful Company, in Los Angeles, CA.

“The top three finalist drinks included ‘Mint to Me,’ featuring lime juice and POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice; ‘Sunset Spritz,’ made with orange juice, lime juice, and POM Pomegranate Arils; and ‘The Sweetart Grapefruit,’ featuring grapefruit, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, and POM Pomegranate Arils.”

ON-CAMPUS COLLABORATIONS

There’s also promotion in the back of the house.

“We’ve partnered with groups like the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council to come in and work with our chefs. They’ll do an event at one of our dining halls where every dish, both savory and sweet, will feature blueberries one night at dinner,” says Steve Giardini, senior director at Michigan Dining at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

“Using fresh blueberries to enhance the barbecue sauce’s flavor was eye-opening for our students. It spurred the notion of creativity and discovery in them.”

Earlier this year, the California Avocado Commission hosted a culinary training at Oregon State University, says Paterson. “Avocado continues to be a top favorite when it comes to add-ons. The training taught our chefs new techniques for using avocados, including in desserts, breakfast dishes, and various global cuisines. We are looking forward to incorporating what we learned into our menus.”

Finally, produce is serving as a valuable training ground for life skills in higher education. For example, Chartwells Higher Education, a division of Compass Group North America that operates contract dining services on 320-plus C&U campuses nationwide, hosts monthly cooking classes called Teaching Kitchens.

“This allows students to learn life skills, try new recipes, and create community on campus,” says Sarah Bodner, vice president of creative and innovation, in Charlotte, NC.

One of the C&U dining department’s responsibilities is not just to make sure there’s food to eat for today, says Robert Nelson, chief executive officer of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), in East Lansing, MI, “but to teach students the skills they need and give them the knowledge they need so they can eat well for the rest of their lives.”

Jeff Weissinger, assistant director of operations for Vanderbilt University Campus Dining, Nashville, TN, agrees. “We want students to walk through a produce section when they’re 27 years old and go, ‘Oh, that looks familiar. I remember when I had that. Let me try that.’”