Staff editorial: Students deserve nutritional info

As we all know, no matter what how old we are, eating healthy is always an issue. But how healthy is Chartwell’s, and what exactly are we eating? It’s scary to know that we have no clue.

In the dining halls and food court, calorie counts and ingredients are nowhere to be seen. Not to mention, their Web site simply lists what meals are on the menu each week without any nutritional information.

Chartwell’s servers and managers are willing to share the nutritional value of their meals if asked. But the answers to these questions aren’t always pretty. In the dining halls, the veggie meatballs, for instance, are made of corn flakes, which means there is no nutritional value for people who want protein with their pasta.

The next step is to not only push Chartwell’s to post information online and in the dining halls, but to also work on providing healthier food for students. For the amount of money we pay, shouldn’t we have more say in the food they serve and how it’s prepared? As consumers, we should have a choice.

It may seem that the best way to fix this ongoing issue is to go through Student Government. But SG and the student body do not have permission to see UM’s contract with Chartwell’s, a private distributor, which is a huge problem.

Whether it’s in the dining halls or the food court, every student has complained about Chartwell’s at one point or another, but we’re unable to take action. Ultimately, the whole issue boils down to transparency. Why not tell your consumers the nutritional information in the food? Why not show the contract to students? If we want to see changes, we need to demand it.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.