Sodexo Names Top College Dining Trends for 2009

According to research compiled by Sodexo and a number of vendor partners, the top 10 food trends for 2009 in college dining are…
has released its food trends menu for college dining in 2009

1. Locally-grown fruits and veggies
2. Crispy garlic-ginger chicken wings
3. Mac 'n five cheeses
4. Vietnamese Pho
5. Green tea and pomegranate smoothies
6. Crab cake sliders
7. Mini samosas
8. Tilapia Veracruz
9. Goat cheese salad (with lavendar lentils)
10. Chicken Mole

By contrast, the company notes that the top Food Trends for 1989 were…

1. Fruit and cottage cheese plate
2. Chicken nuggets
3. Turkey Tetrazini
4. Chicken Chop Suey
5. Egg, bacon and cheese English muffin
6. Half sandwich and cup of soup
7. Taco bar
8. Spanish beef and rice
9. Vegetarian bean chili
10. Algerian lamb stew

The trends were compiled by culling through 20 years worth of menus in hundreds of cafes served by Sodexo, and in keeping step with the latest flavor trends.

"The biggest change we've seen is in the demand for locally-grown produce and authentic international cuisine that is made to order," says Chef Rob Morasco, Sodexo's senior director of culinary support in the education market. "Super spices, comfort food with a twist, and the new age of Asian cuisine are some of the trends we're delivering."

"Parents of college students have cultivated very creative palates in their children by exposing them to many flavors through restaurants, travel, living abroad and creative homecooking," adds Tom Post, president of campus dining for Sodexo. "Our expert chefs on campuses love to serve and dazzle customers with this high level of culinary literacy and we stay on top of the trends to deliver authentic, healthy options."

Sodexo will host its fourth Food Trends Expo at Seattle Pacific University on March 13. Over 30 chefs will prepare 65 unique menu items, including those from the Food Trends in 2009 list. Sodexo's Student Board of Directors, a group of 25 students who provide feedback and insight about students' preferences, along with 900 students from Seattle Pacific University will vote with their palates on their favorites. The results will form Sodexo's Fall 2009 dining menus for all 600 campuses it serves. Celebrity chef Mai Pham will lead a cooking demonstration of Vietnamese and Thai creations, along with Sodexo chefs.

The Food Trends in 2009 list was developed by research from Sodexo's Student Board of Directors, Nielsen's Annual Restaurant Audit, Teenage Research Unlimited, Technomics Menu Monitor, NPD Group and other vendor partners.