5 things: College backs off Meatless Mondays

Each Friday I compile a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of Oct. 23:

1. College backs off Meatless Mondays 

Students at Humboldt State in California will now see meat on the menus on Mondays. The dining hall will now be “pollo-pescetarian” and offer poultry and fish. Additional vegan and vegetarian options will be added throughout the week. Traffic inside the dining hall dropped 15 percent on Mondays, which helped prompt the shift.

Read more: Mondays are no longer meatless

2. School contractor sentenced to prison for meal fraud

The owner of Primo’s Food Service, a contractor serving several charter schools in the Philadelphia area, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution for fraud. The owner, Frank Dolce, filed false tax returns and was accused of theft and structuring deposits to avoid reporting requirements under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Dolce pled guilty to inflating the number of students receiving free and reduced meals under the program. He is also accused of underreporting “hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cash sales.”

Read more: School lunch scammer gets two years in prison

3. University cuts back on meal plans due to theft

Newman University is cutting back on the number of meal plans it offers from three to one as a way to curb theft. Students previously had the option of either 10-, 14- or 19-meal-per-week plans. Now, they only have the 19-per-week option. Dining services said students were underestimating the number of meals they needed, meaning they would run out. They would then sneak into the dining halls and eat for free. Dining services hopes that by having more meals for everyone, the problem will be curbed.

Read more: Caf to cut meal plan options due to stealing

4. UConn students want more non-vegan options

Consider it strike two against vegan and meat-free dishes in this week’s column. Students at UConn say dining services focuses too heavily on vegan options, and should add more meat-based options to the lineup. One student had this to say: ““It’s a positive idea; I just wish it was better balanced because it’s so focused on vegans (and) vegetarians, it’s not very fair to everyone else,” according to the student newspaper. Dining services is part of the Menus of Change initiative, which aims to make plant-based dining more prominent.

Read more: Students criticize move to more plant-based menus

5. Bandage found in hospital food

Mark this one under “things you never want to find.” A bandage was found in the au jus being served at a hospital cafeteria. The bandage was discovered by a customer.

Read more: Band aid found in au jus at Steamboat hospital cafeteria prompted concerns

Bonus: Vote for your favorite game-day eats

Contact Becky Schilling at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter: @bschilling_FM