Updates for Mission Nutrition
Anderson’s labeling system is looking beyond fat, to an updated and well-rounded labeling system that includes calories, fat, fiber, and sodium.
The past Mission Nutrition labeling system was developed over 10 years ago and used only colored dots that represented fat content which did not give the customer enough information about the food product. The change will help students and staff make informed choices about what they choose to eat.
“Dining Services continuously strives to not only meet but exceed the expectations of our customers. Student comments and suggestions guide us in making changes and updates,” said Sabrina Whiting, marketing supervisor of Dining Services. “Mission Nutrition is a perfect example of how we listened to what students want and fulfilled their requests.”
The updated Mission Nutrition is laid out within a corn cob. Each part of the corn cob represents calories, fat, fiber, or sodium. The corn cob also lets Anderson guests know what items are vegetarian by a symbol of a V on the husk of the corn.
Past surveys indicated that Concordia students are concerned about the amount of calories, fat, fiber, and sodium in their food; so those components were picked to be displayed on the new Mission Nutrition corn cob.
Fat is represented on the inner husk of the corn cob, calories are located on the cob, fiber is located on the left outer husk, and sodium is located on the right outer husk. Fat and calories are represented as either green, yellow, or red; green being the lowest caloric value and red being the highest.
“Mission Nutrition makes dining in Anderson Commons even more convenient and educational than before. Students are now able to see many components within a food item instead of just fat content. This helps them grasp the concept of there are no good or bad foods,” said Heather Stueven, residential dining supervisor of Dining Services.
The concept is easy to remember by looking at how colorful your corn cob is. If the outer husks are colored, the food item is full of fiber and low in sodium.
Having nutrition facts available next to displayed foods items is shown to increase a person’s chance of choosing the healthier option. Mission Nutrition’s overall goal is to give students and staff proper nutrition information so they can choose what they want based not only on taste but also nutrition.
Students at Concordia are excited about what Mission Nutrition has to offer.
“Mission Nutrition is an awesome nutrition program designed just for Cobbers that makes picking a balanced meal in Anderson more convenient and efficient,” said Kelsey Bratlie, a dietetic student at Concordia.
