East Coast Fellow for Bon Appétit Management Company Nicole Tocco gave a talk and held a question and answer session on Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. The talk was hosted by Wesleyan Students For Real, Ethical, Sustainable Habits (WesFRESH) and addressed how Bon Appétit, Wesleyan’s main food provider, tackles a wide variety of food-related issues.
As a fellow, Tocco travels to colleges on the east coast for which Bon Appétit provides food management raising awareness, answering questions, and learning alongside students and chefs about the most pressing food and sustainability issues.
During her visit to the University, for example, she spoke to an Introduction to Environmental Science course and an Environmental Economics course, met with students who managed the Real Food Calculator on campus last year, and accompanied students on a visit to Ronnybrook Farm, the farm from which Bon Appétit receives milk and yogurt at Wesleyan.
“Through purchasing policies and other significant efforts, Bon Appétit is working to support local and regional foodsheds and address complex issues,” Tocco wrote in an email to The Argus. “For example, the company’s Farm to Fork program requires that each of Bon Appétit’s 500 cafés across the country get at least 20% of their ingredients from small, local, owner-operated vendors. All of the seafood served in Bon Appétit cafés across the country (and on campus at Wesleyan) meets stringent sustainability requirements of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.”
The majority of the attendees of the talk were members of WesFRESH, a group that aims to transform the way that consumers consider food within environmental, social, and economic contexts.
“The tips for consumers are the same that we have used as a company to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions since 2007 through our Low Carbon Diet, and are as follows: Don’t waste food, make ‘Seasonal and Regional’ your food mantra, move away from beef and cheese, stop flying [in] fruit and fish, and if it’s processed and packaged, skip it,” Tocco wrote.
Wesleyan was named Most Vegan-Friendly Small School in America by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for 2012. Students on campus have varied views and levels of knowledge on eating sustainably.
“I don’t really pay attention to [food sustainability],” said Arpita Vora ’16. “I like the food here even though it does get a little repetitive after awhile, but I recognize that we have it pretty well off here.”
While some students are not aware of methods to eat sustainably, others choose not to make it a priority.
“I’m aware of the concept of eating sustainably, but I probably wouldn’t change my food choices according to that principle,” Nadia Georgieva ’16 explained. “The food here is pretty good for a college. We have a lot of options.”
In the future, information will be available around Usdan Café about the impact of the food system on climate change, and this year, the Bon Appétit team at the University will focus on helping students learn about the flip side: the impact that climate change is expected to have on agriculture. Bon Appétit continues to tackle various food-related problems.
“We are trying to cut down on flying [in] fresh fruit in the winter,” Tocco stated. “Students aren’t evil for wanting fresh blueberries in the winter. It just isn’t sustainable.”