When you are a college student in a hurry on campus, knowing the nutritional value of your food may be the least of your worries.
Now, being health conscious in college can be less of a hassle. Come fall, Cal State Long Beach will provide detailed nutrition information of all the food available on campus to help keep students informed about what they are putting into their bodies.
Since July 1, California retail food code 114094 has required chain restaurants to supply calorie and nutritional information for everything they serve. The new law states that food chains with at least 20 stores in the state must provide the information packets. By 2011, a calorie count of each menu item must be visible on each menu board and drive-through pickup window.
Every major food chain on campus, such as Carl’s Jr., El Pollo Loco and Subway, now provides on-site brochures that list the nutritional content of their food. Although CSULB students have been spotted using the brochures when ordering their meals, some servers think it will not alter their eating habits.
“A lot of people have been looking at them, but I don’t think it will change what people eat,” said Carl’s Jr. General Manager Lidia Martinez. “College students are hungry and want to eat.”
Although the California Department of Public Health still makes it a requirement to have the nutrition information brochures available, on-campus Italian pizza chain, Sbarro, has not yet received any of its brochures or wall displays.
General Manager Fernando Rivera said that not only is Sbarro making changes to providing nutritional information, but they are also coming out with a new low-carbohydrate menu.
“There will be low carb pizza and diet cheese,” Rivera said.
The Nugget, although not a major food chain on campus, has begun providing nutrition information brochures as well, which is already capturing the attention of students.
“I had regular customers who got chicken tenders and now get a veggie burger,” said Maria Ortega, an employee at The Nugget.
The Nugget’s general manager, Margie Ramirez, added that a CSULB professor is conducting a survey with the state Department of Public Health to find out whether the new brochures will change what people order in the future.
Some students have mixed feelings on whether the nutrition information guide brochures will make a difference in what people order.
“I don’t think it’s going to help,” said Florante Ricarte, a senior cell biology major. “People are going to eat what they want to eat.”
However, freshman kinesiology major Norman Quach has already used the nutrition information brochure while ordering his food.
“It was really helpful,” Quach said. “I was going to order the Philly cheese steak, then I decided to get the ‘Turkey California’ instead.”
Freshman anthropology major Joyce Son thinks the brochures need to be more visible.
“I didn’t even notice it,” she said. “They need to have a sign pointing to it.”
Freshman art major Julianne Drapeza said she enjoys the fact that now she can know whether she’s eating healthy or not.
“Now we have a choice of being healthy,” Drapeza said.