2008 Woodie Awards
Waste hinders food services
Candace Pontoni, Assistant News Editor
Issue date: 2/27/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
"We cook pizzas and make sandwiches to order so that we don't have to throw out what students don't eat," O'Brien said. "If we have beef or other meat left over, we use it in soup or stew the following day."
Sodexho managers decide how many servings of a particular entrée should be prepared based on the number of portions consumed the last time the entrée was served.
"If we prepare 700 portions of the french dip sandwiches and have 100 left over, then the next week we would prepare 600 portions," O'Brien said.
Sodexho also minimizes waste by donating unused food to Campus Kitchens, a program that allows college food services to provide meal components that students assemble and deliver to homeless people in their area.
Campus Kitchens is not yet established at Whitworth, but Sodexho gives left-over food to their twin branch at Gonzaga, which has hosted the program since 2005.
Whitworth's Sodexho managers are currently considering the idea of establishing dining policies that will force students to consider how much they waste.
Possible options include the purchase of smaller trays for student use, the complete elimination of trays, or allowing students to take only one entrée at a time, O'Brien said.
"These procedures might anger students, but it will make them more responsible in terms of their waste," O'Brien said. "Students think that Sodexho is a big company trying to make money. But we're trying to minimize waste."
Sodexho managers decide how many servings of a particular entrée should be prepared based on the number of portions consumed the last time the entrée was served.
"If we prepare 700 portions of the french dip sandwiches and have 100 left over, then the next week we would prepare 600 portions," O'Brien said.
Sodexho also minimizes waste by donating unused food to Campus Kitchens, a program that allows college food services to provide meal components that students assemble and deliver to homeless people in their area.
Campus Kitchens is not yet established at Whitworth, but Sodexho gives left-over food to their twin branch at Gonzaga, which has hosted the program since 2005.
Whitworth's Sodexho managers are currently considering the idea of establishing dining policies that will force students to consider how much they waste.
Possible options include the purchase of smaller trays for student use, the complete elimination of trays, or allowing students to take only one entrée at a time, O'Brien said.
"These procedures might anger students, but it will make them more responsible in terms of their waste," O'Brien said. "Students think that Sodexho is a big company trying to make money. But we're trying to minimize waste."
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