Vegan Options to be Available at 500+ College Campuses, Thanks to Aramark!
Life as a college student has never been so exciting for vegans, vegetarians and health-conscious individuals!
Aramark, a food service company that provides food to over 500 college campuses, is now offering a variety of vegan options on campuses, including tofu-based meals and dairy-free desserts. The decision to include a wider variety of vegan options was reportedly made based on the requests by students who had been surveyed. Both the University of South Florida and University of Kentucky have already included the options in their cafeterias.
Scott Zahren, Aramark Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Development, stated that based on the feedback and surverys, his company realized that:
“The number of students interested in vegan options has continued to steadily increase over the past several years.”
Aramark had previously offered vegan options as part of the menus they created, but the new focus has resulted in a huge expansion in both the options offered as well as in terms of frequency. Zahren stated: “Stemming from recent recipe development, items such as vegan pastries, breakfast breads and quinoa oatmeal are now available to students. During lunch and dinner, a variety of hearty entrees are offered, including a vegan saute which features all whole grains and fresh, seasonal veggies as well as a collection of soy based proteins.”
Just some of the mouth-watering options available that will make any college graduate long to be back in school include tofu-potato hash, butternut and black bean chili, spiced pumpkin cake, and peanut butter cookies!
The good news doesn’t end there. Aramark also aims to source its ingredients locally whenever possible, and has established a partnership with FarmLogix, an organization that connects campuses to fresh seasonal produce.
So for the increasing amount of vegan, vegetarian, and health-conscious students, it seems that these new changes mean that the college experience will no longer have to be synonymous with limited options-or the infamous “Freshman 15”!
Photo Credit: http://reslife.coloradomtn.edu/new-students/meal-plans/