Vegan options at Queen’s expand

Vegan options at Queen’s expand

Hospitality Services offers more vegetarian and vegan options across campus.

By Communications Staff

January 10, 2018

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For a variety of reasons, students, staff, and faculty have been inquiring about more vegetarian and vegan food options on campus. In response, Queen’s Hospitality Services is continuing to expand vegan and vegetarian menu items in its dining halls and retail food outlets.

Vegan and vegetarian food options
Queen’s Hospitality Services is continuing to expand vegan and vegetarian menu items in its dining halls and retail food outlets. (University Communications)

New options this year include campus-made bakery items, “Loco” bread at Location 21 in the David C. Smith House residence, vegan butter in the dining halls, and a vegan soup now offered every day at Leonard Hall, along with daily vegan entrees, and vegan-friendly yogurt and noodles. Retail outlets across campus also offer a wide range of vegan menu items. For example, if you fancy a vegan burger you can check out the black bean patty at the Canadian Grilling Company in Mackintosh-Corry Hall, and add a vegan milkshakes on the side. Signs are posted at each location to help people find these foods.

Hospitality Services' Dietitian and Wellness Manager Jessica Bertrand says that a low-meat or vegan/vegetarian diet is growing in popularity, as many view it as being a healthier option that is also more environmentally friendly.

“Our dining hall menus are always evolving to meet the needs of our diners,” says Ms. Bertrand. “We love to get input and ideas, and we are thrilled to have recently been ranked third in Ontario by students in a new report card for the availability of locally-grown foods on campus.”

The report card was created by an organization called Meal Exchange. It surveyed over 2,600 students on how well their university supported locally-grown, sustainable, healthy and accessible food.

At Queen’s, the Hospitality Services website features a list of vegan items on campus, and Ms. Bertrand has also published a blog post for those who want to learn more about vegan and vegetarian diets. She is also available to consult with students one-on-one about their diets, as well as any other restrictions or allergies, as is Executive Chef Colin Johnson.