The cafeteria at Bucks promotes better health with an under-the-table gluten free menu but the Bucks Cafe staff struggles to advertise it.
The problem is that people are not informed that there is indeed a large gluten free menu at the cafeteria because it isn’t being advertised. In fact, if you don’t ask, they won’t tell. If more people know about this and demand it, the college will have no choice but to invest in it and therefore provide more for its students.
Advertising is huge when it comes to informing people about the menu and what kind of foods the menus offer.
“I know too much gluten isn’t great for us, but I’m not sure how important it is to the college, Joshua McCoy, 19, a business management major said. I mean look there isn’t even a poster or anything about it,” as he pointed to different corners and walls within the cafeteria.
Gluten intolerance is more common than people realize. Gluten intolerance is sensitivity to foods that contain wheat
About 10 percent of all people may suffer from a gluten sensitivity of some form, according to statisticbrain.com.
To be able to go to a college or a public dining place and have almost the same foods as other people makes a world of a difference to a person with such sensitivity.
Celiac Disease is another gluten allergy that is more severe than gluten intolerance. Celiac Disease is when wheat is not tolerated at all in the body. If someone has Celiac Disease and wheat foods are consumed, the after effects are most severe. They can result in bone weakness and infertility problems according to mayoclinic.org.
Every one in 100 people in the United States are diagnosed with this disease and 80 people for every one diagnoses are left undiagnosed according to gluten.net.
Let’s face it; food is essential for our existence. Some people live to eat, others eat to live. Either way you look at it, food is vital to our survival. If there are food options that are available to us that make us feel better, why not take it?
“It is more about demand than anything else, Steve DiSalvio the Director of Dining Service at Bucks Café said. If people buy the gluten free foods then I am able to order more.”
DiSalvio is planning on advertising this menu in the near future, but did not give an exact date.
“I can tell you is that it’s going to be on the website soon,” DiSalvio said.
It’s not just Bucks making a bigger selection for gluten free foods but all colleges as well as restaurants across the country are making this available.
Bucks just has to get better at keeping its students informed.