5 things: Possible deliberate food contamination found at hospital

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 Nov. 5:

1. Students saying no to more amenities

Two years ago, I posed the question, if college food is too good and would students rather no longer to pay for over-the-top college dining programs. The question originated from discussions around the rising cost of college as a whole and of those amenities that come with the cost of attending college in a modern educational arms race. This story, written by a former university president, is a great look at some of those hyped-up amenities (a lazy river and on-campus valet, for example). The interesting part of the story is that students seem to be saying they are no longer willing to pay for some of these luxuries.

Read more: Students Begin to Tap The Brakes On The Campus Amenities Arms Race

2. Possible deliberate food contamination found at hospital

Police in Australia are investigating a case of possible deliberate food contamination at a hospital. It was found before any food was served, especially not to patients, who typically have weakened immune systems. Little more is currently known right now, but the contamination was found by a hospital staffer.

Read more: Police Are Investigating Deliberate Food Contamination At Flinders Hospital

3. Duke reconsidering food trucks

Food trucks on campuses are a common sight, but they might become less so at Duke University. Dining services doesn’t run the trucks—local restaurants do—but the department works in partnership with the vendors. The trucks, however, aren’t doing as well as dining services would like, so it is taking a look at the number of trucks moving forward. The university said a recent renovation of a student union might have contributed to low transaction numbers at the food trucks.

Read more: Duke considers future of its food trucks

4. A look veganism’s growing acceptance

A number of colleges have opened up vegan station in their dining halls, and some even have vegan-only dining locations. This article looks at the vegan movement since World Vegan Day was launched Nov. 1, 1994. No longer a fringe phenomenon, vegans have increased from 1 to 6 percent of the population between 2014 and 2017, with the plant-based-dining movement definitely helping bring over new converts.

Read more: The Growing Acceptance Of Veganism

5. Dining program facing staff shortage

In a return of what was a severe problem for many college dining programs a few years ago, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is now facing a staff shortage—specifically, student workers. Dining services, which is run by A’viands, has tried incentives such as increasing wages for the second shift, but so far that hasn’t fixed the problem.

Read more: Dining Services pushes through staff shortage

Bonus: Meal kits boost lunch sales at district elementary sites

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