Feeding Students, Missing Nutrients
Photo by Mōhai Peloso
How Pacific Leaves a Gap on the Plate
With meal plans required for most students living in residence halls, the DeRosa University Center (DUC) , especially the Marketplace, serves as a daily hub for meals, socializing, and study breaks. Managed by the Bon Appétit Company, Pacific’s dining services emphasize sustainability, fresh ingredients, and locally sourced produce. On paper, the university’s dining program seems ideal. However, despite these intentions, many students experience nutrition gaps, imbalances in dietary intake that stem from limited food variety, inconsistent quality, restrictive hours, and a lack of transparency around nutrition content.
One of the main concerns students voice involves the repetitive nature of the meals offered at the Marketplace. Pacific features several stations—Mexican, Wok, and Spice Market—but the daily rotation often repeats dishes. As a result, students rely on the same few comfort foods. When menu options become monotonous, students may skip balanced meals in favor of pizza, pasta, or fried food, choices that are filling, but often high in refined carbs and low in nutrients like fiber, protein, and essential vitamins. This repetitive menu pattern creates a nutritional imbalance over time, especially for students trying to maintain a healthy diet on campus.
Another major contributor to nutrition gaps is the lack of detailed nutritional information. Bon Appétit does not provide full breakdowns of calories, macronutrients, or portion sizes for most menu items, leaving students to guess what constitutes a balanced meal. Without this transparency, it is difficult for those managing specific health conditions or fitness goals to make informed food choices. In addition, while vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals are available, students with cultural or religious dietary needs occasionally report limited variety or cross-contamination issues, making it hard for them to eat enough of what aligns with their restrictions.
Beyond menu repetition and lack of transparency, the DUC’s hours further complicate students’ ability to maintain balanced nutrition. The dining hall operates on fixed hours, which can be inconvenient for students with late-night study sessions, lab schedules, or back-to-back classes. Missing a meal often means resorting to vending machine snacks or fast food from nearby restaurants, quick options that are rarely nutritious. Even though some may have kitchens in their apartments where students can cook their own meals, not all students have access to that space or the time to prepare food from scratch. These scheduling and access challenges further widen the gap between dining availability and students’ actual needs.
Additionally, despite the mandatory meal plan, many students still experience food insecurity and rely on the campus food pantry for supplemental nutrition. Over 250 students used the Pacific Food Pantry last year, the university reported. This statistic underscores that even within a prepaid dining system, some students struggle to meet their nutritional needs. When the dining hall food feels inadequate, either nutritionally or in quality, students end up spending additional money off-campus, creating financial strain on top of academic stress.
The consequences of this limited food variety and facts can be significant. Poor diet quality is linked to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and weakened immune function—all factors that directly affect academic performance. Over time, limited access to nutrient-rich foods can contribute to unhealthy weight fluctuations or disordered eating patterns, especially in a college environment where stress and irregular schedules already challenge healthy habits. While Pacific’s dining services deserve credit for their efforts toward sustainability and local sourcing, the gap between intention and student experience remains wide.