As I finish my freshman year at Clemson University, I have been reflecting on what has shaped my day-to-day life on campus. From rigorous classes and meeting new friends to making a huge life adjustment, the last thing I expected to shape my experience was the dining hall. Most days, I found myself leaving the dining hall feeling worse than when I walked in, which is why I believe Clemson Dining needs to do better.
Most of the dining hall food at Clemson is provided by major contractors like Aramark, which uses suppliers such as Sysco to deliver large quantities of food at low cost to University students. However, this results in dining experiences defined by low-quality, highly processed food rather than nutritious, fresh meals.
It is evident in the overcooked, bland and high-sodium food that this reliance on mass production does more harm than good. Nine times out of 10, I am bloated and inflamed from one small meal, leaving me to now deal with digestion issues and a lack of nutrients…