Study finds fault with Cal Poly's campus food healthfulness

Only 12 percent of entrées and 36 percent of main dish salads served in and around California Polytechnic State University were found to be healthy, according to a case study conducted by researchers at the university. The study, “Assessment of a University Campus Food Environment, California, 2015,” was published Feb. 4 in Preventing Chronic Disease, a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

The study found that only 36 of 314 entrées and 11 of 31 main dish salads were classified as healthy according to the standards set by the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey, which focuses on the availability, affordability and quality of healthful food choices.

To conduct the study, Cal Poly researchers evaluated all 18 campus dining venues, two on-campus food stores and 37 off-campus food stores between March and August 2015. “Healthy” entrées and main dish salads were defined as having 800 or fewer calories (650 or fewer calories for a la carte burgers and sandwiches), no more than 30 percent of calories from fat, and no more than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat. Healthy entrées were available in nine of the 18 on-campus dining venues.

The researchers said they were surprised to find that fast-food restaurants on campus scored well, with one receiving the highest score for healthy food options. Meanwhile, sit-down restaurants received the lowest scores.

On the positive side, the two campus food stores offered a wide variety of healthy food choices and did not charge more for them, the researchers found. The stores also offered more produce than typical convenience stores.

Overall, campus dining venues differed widely in the healthfulness of their offerings, the study concluded, adding that by providing more healthy side dishes and beverages, food courts made more healthy choices available.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]