Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee is working to improve dining on campus for vegan and vegetarian students as well as those with food allergies.
At its meeting Monday, DUSDAC discussed how to better inform students of food ingredients at on-campus vendors. Several committee members noted that they have heard students complain about cross-contamination and a lack of ingredient labels. Barbara Stokes, assistant director of dining services, said Duke Dining is in the process of implementing an online food management program that will provide information about ingredients—including potential allergens—to address this issue.
“Everything we put out there, we want to make sure it’s completely right,” Stokes said.
The food management website will include the daily menu for on-campus eateries, and users will be able to sort the food options based on their specific allergens, Stokes explained. Marketplace and the Divinity Cafe will be the first to be featured in the new online system. The site’s information will also be available on a mobile app.
Committee members raised concerns that some students may not check the website for a list of allergen-free foods before visiting a specific eatery. However, Stokes explained that Duke Dining is working to make this information available at the actual locations as well.
“We’re still working out details on how to display it in restaurants, but we’re really excited about it,” she said.
The committee also discussed the lack of labeling of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options at Marketplace. Additionally, members mentioned that the Earth’s Fare station often has vegetarian dishes but few vegan options.
Concerns about cross-contamination in the Marketplace were also noted, especially regarding gluten-free items.
“It’s ironic that I have to wipe down the bagel slicer to slice my gluten-free bagel because there’s no gluten-free slicer, and then return to the gluten-free station to use the gluten-free toaster,” said committee member Betsy Mansfield, a senior.
In other business:
DUSDAC will divide its members into two groups—one to focus on off-campus vendors and another to address on-campus venues. The groups plan to meet with all of Duke’s vendors to provide feedback each month.
“One of our goals will be to talk to vendors to tell them what we think, as a reflection of the student body,” said DUSDAC chair Brian Taylor, a senior.
Mixed Korean Truck is set to arrive on campus in the near future. Stokes noted that the contract will be signed soon and that the process should move along quickly. This food truck will fill the vacancy in the food truck lineup left by Bull City Street Food, which failed to pass the vetting process at the beginning of the year.
Correction: This story was updated to include the official name of the Divinity Cafe instead of the common refectory reference.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.