The switch to corn and sunflower oil comes from consideration of 2006 dining style surveys from Aramark schools across the nation that showed student interest in lowering their trans fat intake.
“Students have been asking for this for a long time,” said Rita Gordish, marketing program manager for Aramark. “The general trend throughout the United States is that [students] are more concerned with their diet.”
Baked goods such as cookies, cakes, muffins and potato chips are most commonly made with oils that may contain trans fats.
“It’s not necessary to completely eliminate trans fats from your diet, but the less the better,” Gordish said.
The reason hydrogenated oils with trans fats are used at all is to prolong the shelf life of a product and enhance its flavor. The lack of trans fat oil, however, does not inhibit the flavor of fried foods at Elon.
“Aramark did experiments with dieticians and customers to make sure the taste was the same,” Gordish said.
According to Laura Thompson, Elon Dining Services food service director, there was no negative feedback about the taste of the food on campus since the switch to non-hydrogenated oil.
“We’ve actually heard that it tastes better,” she said.
Some students agreed, while others said the dining hall food tastes just as bad.
“I can’t say I’ve noticed anything tasting different,” freshman Kevin Monahan said. “I think it’s a good idea because a lot of the food I eat here is fried.”
Others did not see how eliminating trans fats would make much difference in the health of students.
“I appreciate the lengths [Aramark] is taking to retain a healtheir balance for their students,” freshman Jordan Frederick said. “However, I feel like with dining halls, because they’re buffet style for the most part, students are likely to eat more than the average serving size as it is, which the absence of trans fats can’t do much to assuage.”
Few students feel they can depend on campus food for healthy food.
“I think that getting rid of [trans fats] will hopefully make the foods healthier, although it is a cafeteria, so nothing is ever completely healthy. The only thing we can rely on is salad and fruit,” freshman Rebecca Gutta said.
Aramark and Elon Dining Services are more optimistic.
To ease student worries about what they are eating in dining halls, Aramark has also added posters with detailed nutritional information to Harden dining hall. McEwen will soon do the same.
Other schools in the area that have switched to non-hydrogenated corn and sunflower oil include UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Chapel Hill, Peace College, Meredith College and High Point University.
The removal of trans fats is not limited to Aramark and the students it serves.
“Now New York and Philadelphia are trying to mandate the elimination of trans fats in frying oils,” Gordish said.
For more information on trans fats, nutrition and Elon dining services, visit www.elon.edu/dining.