Having been ranked #1 for best campus food in Canada, it is no surprise that the University of Guelph is renowned for its excellence in food and dining.
This excellence is the result of a dedicated team of award-winning chefs, managers, and staff that ensure that every meal on campus is an enjoyable experience for everyone on campus including students, staff, and faculty.
But it is not just taste that is important to Hospitality Services. Campus food is considered holistically at U of G, with high value placed on things like procuring local ingredients and cooking seasonally while ensuring inclusivity and diversity among campus menu offerings.
Improving Access to Nutritious Food
Jessie Trupp is Hospitality Services’ first-ever Dietitian and provides her expertise to dining hall chefs and managers on another important aspect of the food spectrum – Nutrition.
Trupp, a U of G grad, joined the team in September 2022. Her role involves collaborating with chefs and managers on various department initiatives and projects, delivering educational workshops for both staff and students and supporting students with dietary restrictions and allergies.
“Hospitality Services has made a long-term commitment to making campus food offerings more nutritious for students”, says Trupp.
To showcase this commitment, Hospitality Services signed the Health Canada’s food guide friendly initiative pledge in January 2024. This is a voluntary initiative that encourages publicly funded institutions to create and support healthy food environments. This includes providing more nutritious options and improving the appeal of nutritious options through promotion, placement, and pricing.
Many of these principles were already in place at dining halls at U of G. The Student Nutrition Awareness Program (SNAP), sponsored by Hospitality Services and supervised by Trupp, provides peer-led nutrition education and programming to students on campus. One of SNAP’s initiatives, “SNAPPY Tips”, involves placing postcards in strategic locations on-campus dining halls. These postcards consist of quick and easy tips for making balanced and nutritious choices.
“The food guide-friendly initiative is really an opportunity to refine and improve upon what we already had in place, and a way to stay accountable to our commitment to improving access to nutritious food at our dining halls”, says Trupp.
Bringing Everyone to the Table
Providing culturally inclusive and diverse food options that cater to dietary restrictions, preferences, and allergies is another priority for chefs at U of G.
“It is difficult to find a station on a campus dining hall that does not provide a plant-based option”, says Trupp. Chefs also showcase their expertise and creativity by creating plant-forward options that combine animal proteins with plant-based ones. Instead of just a chicken cutlet, for instance, you may find a cutlet composed of both chicken and lentils.
“This can help make plant-based eating more accessible to students who may not be familiar with vegetarian alternatives”, comments Trupp.
The dining halls on campus feature menus from all over the world. “Our chefs consult with various on and off campus groups to ensure menu offerings are as authentic as possible and that our diverse campus community feels represented”, says Trupp.
When asked about her go-to balanced meal on campus, Trupp likes to turn to self-serve stations such as Nature’s Best, a station featuring vegetarian and vegan options, or Nosh and Nourish, which provides vegan offerings, to customize her meals so that they are both nutritious and delicious.
If you would like to contact Jessie Trupp for a class lecture, a group workshop, or require assistance with dietary restrictions and allergy concerns, she is available via her email jtrupp@uoguelph.ca
This content is part of our series on Food Day Canada. To learn more about Food Day Canada, view our webpage or head to the official Food Day Canada website.