Nutrition

Campus Dining & Shops understands the importance of nutritionally balanced meals in the lives of busy college students. We are excited to present a more holistic approach to nutrition through our program called Take A Fresh Look. This nutrition program does not endorse any one particular diet. Instead, we recognize the vast difference in nutritional needs of our customers and offer a variety of foods that can be tailored to fit a variety of lifestyles. A wide selection of healthy menu choices are available daily, including lower fat, vegetarian, vegan and heart-healthy menu items, along with traditional menu items.

Meatless Mondays

Check out the Dining Halls on Mondays for an added selection of meatless options.  Look for the Meatless Monday Station signs located throughout the Dining Halls.

For Carnivores - Do not worry, there are still options with meat and plenty of them every day of the week.

For Herbivores - Any Entree can be made meatless anytime, just ask.

At Campus Dining & Shops, we aim to provide eating options for EVERYONE, carnivore, omnivore and herbivore alike.  We are just making it easier one day a week for omnivores and herbivores to find meatless options.

History
This is a part of a national movement for Meatless Mondays originally started by the US Government during World War I.  The U.S. Food Administration urged families to reduce consumption of key staples to aid the war effort.  "Food Will Win the War," the government proclaimed, and "Meatless Monday" and "Wheatless Wednesday" were introduced to encourage Americans to do their part.

In 2003 Meatless Monday was recreated as public health awareness program in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future.  The campaign was endorsed by over 20 schools of public health.  Its goal was to help Americans reduce their risk of preventable disease by cutting back saturated fat.  (See more at www.meatlessmonday.com.)

In June of 2011, UB joined over 30+ other colleges and universities that are taking the lead for reduced carbon footprint diets.

Why?
Did you know that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined?  In order to reach UB’s goal of being Carbon neutral by 2025, we all need to think about what we are eating, where it comes from, and how it gets to our plate.  If we all just reduced our meat consumption by just 20%, it would be as if everyone switched from a standard sedan to the hybrid Prius.

The Carbon Footprint of Meat In terms of global emissions, agriculture is believed to be responsible for 25% of CO2, 65% of methane and 90% of nitrous oxide emitted.

Reduced meat diets are known to be healthier as well.  Going meatless once a week can reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. The UB Meatless Monday program is supported by University Wellness and Campus Dining & Shops.

More information about the benefits of Meatless Monday can be found at www.meatlessmonday.com.
 

Special Diets

If you need a special diet or have questions relating to nutrition and wellness, please contact our registered dietician, Anita Hathaway. She can be reached Monday through Friday in the Campus Dining & Shops main office at (716) 645-6445 or email. Richmond Dining Center is pleased to offer gluten-free pasta every night. We also have set up an area where we will be featuring other gluten-free products like bread, pretzels, cookies, crackers, and desserts. Stop by to try these new products.

Kosher: Kosher foods prepared under rabbinical supervision by the Va'ad is available at the NY Deli & Diner, located next to Bert's food court in Talbert Hall. In the residential dining centers, you will find near almost all menu items a Cuisine Card that offers useful information that can help in making decisions to support dietary goals. Use the Cuisine Cards to plan meals and budget fat, cholesterol, and sodium intake.

Meatless (vegetarian): Vegetarian food is now offered in all dining locations. Vegetarian specials listed on this site will be easily identified with vegetarian icon. Our vegetarian options contain no meat, fish or meat products such as rennet and gelatin.

Vegan: All vegan foods at our dining locations will be labeled for easy identification. Vegan cuisine is offered throughout the campus -- in the Ellicott complex at the Richmond Dining Center and Greens & Beans; in the Student Union at Pistachio's and Putnam's; in Talbert Hall at Bert’s; in Harriman Hall on South campus at Harriman Café and The Greenery. Vegan specials listed on this site can be identified with the vegan icon. Our vegan options contain no meat, fish, meat products (such as rennet and gelatin) or animal products (such as milk, eggs and honey).

Heart healthy: This symbol appears when a dish meets the following requirements:

• 8-10% or less of the day's total calories from saturated fat
• 30% or less of the day's total calories from fat
• Less than 75 milligrams of dietary cholesterol
• Less than 600 milligrams of sodium

Trans-Fat Free Oils: We cook our fried foods using only trans-fat free oil. In the past, most frying oils contained artificial trans fats, which are believed to be harmful because they contribute to heart disease by raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol at the same time. Some experts say that makes trans fats worse than saturated fat. We always have the nutritional health of our students, faculty and staff in mind and strive to provide the best ingredients and products.

Pride of New York

Campus Dining & Shops, in our effort to support sustainable living practices on campus, has become a member of the Pride of New York program. The Pride of New York program, developed and administered by New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, was created to promote and support the sale of agricultural products grown and food products processed within New York State. Campus Dining & Shops has increasingly been purchasing both ingredients and foods from local producers. Currently, 12 percent of the campus dining services purchases are local, up from five percent three years ago. The Pride of New York logo and signs are displayed in locations where local food and beverage products are sold. The program’s growing membership now includes farmers and processors, retailers, distributors, restaurants and related culinary and support associations all working together to bring consumers wholesome, quality New York State products. More information on the Pride of New York program can be found on their website at www.prideofny.org.

Food Allergy Disclaimer

University at Buffalo Campus Dining & Shops makes every attempt to identify ingredients that may cause allergic reactions for those with food allergies. Every effort is made to instruct our food production staff on the severity of food allergies. In addition, we label items with possible allergen-containing ingredients; however, there is always a risk of contamination. There is also a possibility that manufacturers of the commercial foods we use could change the formulation at any time, without notice. Customers concerned with food allergies need to be aware of this risk. University at Buffalo Campus Dining & Shops will not assume any liability for adverse reactions to foods consumed, or items one may come in contact with while eating at any University establishment. Students with food allergies are encouraged to contact Campus Dining & Shops dietician Anita Hathaway (716-645-6445) for additional information and/or support.

Nutritional Information Disclaimer

All nutritional information is based on recipes. Any additions or substitution of ingredients or condiments may alter nutritional values. Although this data is based on standard portion product guidelines, variation can be expected due to seasonal influences, minor differences in product assembly per location and other factors. The University at Buffalo Campus Dining & Shops attempts to provide nutrition and ingredient information regarding its products that is as complete as possible, however errors in labeling could occur due to menu changes or substitutions.

Healthy Eating Resources

The Vegetarian Resource Group

The New Food Pyramid