5 things: University of Minnesota plans $40M in dining hall upgrades

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    UM system plans $40M dining hall upgrades

In two separate projects, the University of Minnesota is planning $40 million worth of improvements to aging kitchen and dining areas at the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses. The Duluth project, a $25 million update to the main production kitchen at the Residence Dining Center, is scheduled for completion in November 2024 while a $15 million renovation of the Middlebrook Dining Hall at Twin Cities will be done in phases, with the first round of work wrapping up in August 2024 and the second in August 2025.

Read more: U of M plans $40M in upgrades to dining halls

 2.    USDA, FRAC team to fund school meal study

The USDA and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) have teamed up to competitively award five organizations a total of $1.1 million to research barriers to equitable access in the federal child nutrition programs and identify strategies to eliminate them. The effort is funded by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service through a cooperative agreement with FRAC.

Read more: USDA and FRAC Announce $1.1 Million in Grants to Increase Equitable Access to Healthy Meals for Children During School, After School, Child Care and Summer

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 3.    Hartford Hospital launches food prescription program to address pre-diabetes

Hartford Healthcare Group in Connecticut is responding to the national epidemic of pre-diabetes by expanding access to foods that prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, as its doctors have begun writing prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost to patients, who are guided by a nutritionist on site. Hartford Hospital and the Institute of Living, which started the program, have prescribed food to nearly 200 patients so far. The CDC estimates that more than one in three adults in the U.S. are prediabetic—a precursor to type 2 diabetes that increases the risk of heart disease and stroke—but more than 80% don't know they have it.

Read more: Hartford HealthCare expands ‘Food as Medicine’ prescription program to combat rise in diabetes

 4.    High school students study hydroponic agriculture while supplying their school’s kitchen

Lincoln Park High School students in Michigan are cultivating invaluable skills while feeding fellow students through a unique agriscience course that teaches then to grow their own produce via an in-school hydroponic system and curriculum designed to teach them the fundamentals of agriculture. Through the class, healthy meals have been provided to students receiving reduced-cost or free lunch under the district’s school lunch program. Most recently, the students supplied the district with nearly 19 pounds of lettuce they grew in class.

Related:5 things: Church steps in after fire closes school district’s kitchen

Read more: 'From seed to plate:' Lincoln Park High School students grow food, feed fellow students

 5.    Delaware North holds fan menu test tasting event

Delaware North, the hospitality and food service management for KeyBank Center and for now Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, brought together 100 Buffalo Sabres fans on Dec. 6 to provide in-person feedback on several new menu items. General Manager DonVito concluded the evening by saying Sabres fans can expect these new options before the end of this season, aiming for them to be on the menu come the All-Star break.

Read more: Delaware North gives fans choice of menu at KeyBank Center

Bonus: Top 15 healthcare food service stories of 2023

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]