TCU may not be directly affected by the United States Department of Agriculture’s recent changes to its food standards, but TCU Dining Services has tried to ensure students had the opportunity to make healthy eating decisions, Craig Allen, director of residential services, said.
Some changes included the new menu at 1873 Café and Sports Grill and the additions of the stir fry line and vegan options in Market Square, he said.
TCU Dining Services’ website has information of upcoming menus as well as the meal’s classification: vegetarian, well-balanced or vegan.
Elizabeth Leach, a sophomore environmental science major, said healthy eating was very important her, even though she did not always get to do so.
She said Market Square could improve by limiting the amount of days that pizza was served. If pizza was not available every day she might eat healthier, she said.
Allen said TCU Dining Services has added a new mobile app to help students choose healthy options from the day’s menu. When eating at Market Square, students could take a picture of a QR code on the windows of the different stations throughout Market Square, and the QR codes would lead students to a website to find nutritional information, he said.
Mitzi Bracy, a freshman biology major, said she had no clue the Dining Services site even existed. She said she would consider using it, though, because she had been curious about the nutritional content of Market Square’s food.
She said she admired the USDA’s efforts to renew healthy eating habits, and suggested Dining Services should find a way to publicize its website so that students would know what they ate.