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Conversation 2 - Issues related to cafeteria’s food policy

Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and the director of the student cafeteria.

Student: Hi, I… I am sorry to interrupt, could I ask you a few questions?

Director: Sure, but if it is about you meal plan, you’ll need to go to Room 45, just down the hall.

Student: Eh, no, I am OK with my meal plan. I am actually here about the food in the student cafeteria.

Director: Oh, we do feed a lot of students, so we can’t always honor individual requests. I am sure you understand.

Student: Of course. It is just that I am a little concerned, I mean, a lot of us are, that a lot of the food you serve isn’t really that healthy. Like there are so many deepfried foods.

Director: As a matter of fact, we recently changed the type of oil we use in our fryer. It is the healthiest available. And would you believe that at least ten students have already complaint that their French fries and fried chicken don’t taste as good since we switched?

Student: Oh, I try not to eat too many fried foods anyway. I am just aware that, eh…You see, I used to work in a natural food store. They had all these literature advising people to eat fresh organic growing food. Working there really open my eyes.

Director: Did you come to the organic food festival we had last year to celebrate Earth Day?

Student: Oh, sorry, I must have missed that.

Director: We served only certified organic food, most of which was from local farms. It is not something we can afford to do on a daily basis, and there aren’t too many organic farms around here. But sometime the produce we offer is organically grown. It depends on the season and the prices of course.

Student: That’s good to know. I like the fact that organic farms don’t use chemical pesticides or anything that can pollute the soil or the water.

Director: I do too. But let me ask you this. Is it better to buy locally grown produce that is not certified as organic or is it better to get organically grown fruits and vegetables that must be trucked in from California, three thousand mile away?

What about fossil fuels burned by the trucks’ engine. Plus the expense of shipping food across long distances.And nutritionally speaking, an apple is an apple however it is grown.

Student: I see your point. It is not so clear-cut.

Director: Why don’t you visit our cafeteria’s website? We list all our food suppliers. You know, where we buy the food that we serve. And the site also suggests ways to make your overall diet a healthy one. You can also find some charts listing fat and calorie content for different types of seafood, meat and the other major food groups.

Student: I didn’t realize you thought about all these things so carefully, I just noticed the high-calorie food in the cafeteria.

Director: Well, we have to give choices so everyone is satisfied. But if you wish to pursue this further, I suggest that you talk to my boss.

Student: That’s OK, seems like you are doing what you can.