Ohio University Dining Services plans to gradually re-introduce a variety of produce items into the markets, including fruits and processed vegetables, in the coming year.
Beginning late Winter Quarter, markets started offering frozen vegetables and fresh fruit cups.
In the past, offering fresh produce resulted in the markets having much more product than they could sell, said Richard Neumann, director of Dining Services.
We had fresh fruit [such as] bananas
oranges and apples Neumann said. However they have a very short shelf life. We could put in carrot sticks
celery sticks
and packaged lettuce. That's what we're looking at right now.
To prevent this problem from resurfacing, dining services must experiment to find a balance between supply and demand, said Gwyn Scott, executive director of culinary and dining operations.
It's easy to say that we need healthier options
[and] students may have the intent of buying healthy
but the actual purchase is sometimes very different
Scott said.
Nelson Market will have the largest selection because of its cooler space, but all the markets will offer some packaged fruits and vegetables beginning Fall Quarter.
The Dining Services Development Committee (DSDC) was influential in making this decision, Neumann said. The committee is composed of members of the Dining Services staff as well as several students. It meets biweekly to discuss ways to improve dining halls based on student input from its Facebook page and elsewhere.
We take what feedback we get from the suggestion boxes and from what the DSDC requests and we try out what students want
Neumann said.
But with limited cooler space, items that don't sell don't stick around, Scott said.
We are working toward meeting the needs of our customers; they determine what sells
she said. If the product isn't selling
we replace it with something else.
