5 things: Hackers disrupt hospital’s meal service

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 Feb. 15:

1. Using emojis to research students’ food preferences
A photograph is worth a thousands words, as the saying goes. But does the same hold true for emojis? Young students often have difficultly articulating ideas in a detailed manner so researchers are testing emojis to see if students are better able to communicate their feelings on school food. The hope is that if students can better express what they like and don’t like, then school foodservice providers can use that info to create menu items students like better, thus reducing waste. The research team, led by the Sensory and Consumer Research Center at K-State Olathe, found that students were better able to express themselves using emojis.

Read more: K-State Olathe researchers utilize emojis to study feelings about food

2. Hack makes trouble for hospital foodservice program in Flint
The online “hacktivist” group Anonymous created a cyber attack against Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich. The group attacked the hospital Jan. 15 as a protest over the ongoing Flint water crisis, according to an article on mlive.com. Through information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the paper found that the hospital’s foodservice program was disrupted by the attack. Lunch service on Jan. 16 was delayed when “generic lunch trays were sent out and nurses were forced the supervise for special diets. Some patients did not receive their lunch trays until after 4 p.m.,” the paper found.

Read more: Flint water crisis hack by Anonymous created hassles for hospital patients

3. Since taking over Kentucky account, Aramark has increased sales by 24%
Aramark at the University of Kentucky says it has increased sales by 24 percent since taking over the account in 2014. Sales have increased from $25.3 million to $31.3 million. Aramark also says it has increased the number of non-student employees since taking over the account, increasing to 453 from 117.

Read more: Aramark partnership leads to increase in sales, employment for UK Dining

4. Australian school says no to certain fruits in bagged lunched
A Melbourne school is asking parents not to pack certain fruits—watermelon, bananas and strawberries—in their children’s meal in an effort to prevent food allergy attacks for students. The school says it is seeing a growing number of students with allergies, especially to foods outside the Big 8 (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy). Banning of food items in bagged lunches isn’t new; schools in the US have been banning peanuts for years. But many question the use of banning food items, saying it encourages a false sense of security and encroaches on other students’ rights.

Read more: School urges parents to stop packing watermelon, bananas and strawberries in lunchboxes to stop 'allergic reactions'... so has it gone too far now?

5. University closes full-service campus restaurant
The University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver recently closed its full-service restaurant The Perch after six months in operation. The Perch was designed to give students, staff and visitors a more sophisticated campus dining option, featuring a sustainable and local-driven menu in an elegant space. A press release about the closure stated that The Perch hadn’t caught on with students. The space is now being used as a rental venue.

Read more: UBC shuts down Perch Restaurant after just a few months

Bonus: 3 Quick Bites: What did fruits and veggies look like before GMOs?

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