Nutrition on-the-go

As a community college, Delta has a lot of diversity to offer. Students come from many different backgrounds, locations and experiences. Some students may live just a few minutes away while others make over a 30-minute commute to campus. Undergrads can be just out of high school or entering college for the first time after decades of being out of formal education.

Many face similar responsibilities when it comes to managing their time for homework assignments, group projects, errands, work, family relationships and leisure time. College students require a healthy diet to ensure their body and mind are operating at full potential, but with only so many hours in the day it can be one of the more difficult tasks to accomplish.

Students who commute long distances are more likely to schedule their classes closer together which leaves a very small window of opportunity to grab food and beverages during breaks. For some there just isn’t enough time to walk to the Red Brix Café or Coffee N’ More. Although both food services offer some healthier meal options, it is not practical to eat from these venues on a daily basis, especially if you have a tight budget. Students who have limited time and money, and who may not have the resources for sack lunches, are left with the options provided at the vending machines throughout campus.

Vending machines on campus offer items that are marked with a heart symbol through "The Right Choice for a Healthier You" program. These food products meet nutritional guidelines set up by USConnect, a group of professional food service and vending companies, which you can find here. The “healthier” choices only make up about 25% of the options in the food machines on campus. The rest are chips, candy and other finger foods that are typically very processed and have a high calorie count.

Beverage vending machines on campus are not part of the "The Right Choice for a Healthier You" program. The options available are energy, sports, and soft drinks as well as juice, flavored water and water. Most beverage machines on campus are always stocked with energy drinks and soda pop but they are not stocked uniformly and you may have to travel to several different wings before finding juice or sports drinks. Many of the drinks offered have high caffeine and sugar counts, while energy drinks typically have the highest caffeine content because the amount isn’t regulated due to the drinks being sold as dietary supplements.

In small infrequent amounts the items offered throughout campus are not harmful to ones overall health, but using vending machines as a source of nourishment on a daily basis is not part of a healthy and balanced diet.

In order to graduate from one of Delta’s associate degree programs students must take two credits in LifeLong Wellness. These courses teach “student understanding and experience of the direct correlation between positive lifestyle habits and well being through… lectures that cover a variety of wellness topics and disease prevention”, as seen in the course description.

One of the activities required of students for the course is to evaluate their current diet and discover ways to improve their overall health through nutrition. Unfortunately, the lessons learned through LifeLong Wellness can be undermined by the overabundance and ease of access to vending machines that provide little to no nutritional value.

As an institution of higher education Delta College teaches it’s students about the importance of proper nutrition but it provides and promotes unhealthy choices throughout the school. Delta should provide the nutritionally valuable food that it promotes in its classes. Vending machines don’t have to be stocked with junk food and sugar beverages.

The school has made a commitment to reduce and eventually neutralize the climate-changing emissions it produces. If Delta really wants to lessen their impact on the environment the current vending machines will have to be replaced. The snack foods and beverages sold are not a sustainable option. The ingredients, machinery, packaging, oil and transportation that go into these products only add to the College’s carbon footprint.

If Delta College really wants to be seen as a leader in sustainability, as well as an institution that practices what it preaches, there needs to be an overhaul of the current vending machines provided to students. Local produce and Michigan made products that are nutritionally valuable would be a more sustainable and healthier alternative than what is currently offered.