New FDA Requirements Making Way to Texas State

Cynthia Jacobo
News Reporter

The Food Drug Administration is changing the requirements needed in the different Dining Halls on Texas State University campus beginning in December of this year.

Director of Chartwells administration and resident district manager at Texas State University, Chin-Hong Chua says that even though the guideline changes won’t be enforced until December, the school has already started implementing some of the requirements.

“In Harris and Commons, which is the All you can eat dining halls, we have implemented all of our electronic P-I-D-S with calorie count on the menu and if you want more then the calorie count information, the cash register already has an Ipad that you can tap and find the nutritious facts of all the menu that we serve. “

The Den already have Ipads located in the middle of the food court, where students can find food information and nutritional facts. However, Chartwells is working closely with national brands such as Einstein’s Bagel, Papa John’s, Fresh, Au Bon Pain, Starbucks, Blimpies and Chick Fil A to continue implementing the required guidelines.

The second floor of the Lair at the LBJ student center tested Ipads earlier this week, showing nutritional facts for internal brands. Mr. Chin-Hong is expectant to see a calorie count system implemented next semester as well as a change in the national brands menus.

Director of marketing and guests services, Steven Granados says that Chartwells is already one step ahead for the process of changing their menu boards to an electronic system for Spring 2015.

“Compare to other brands from the industry, it already has a leg out from the game, a lot of items that Chua mentions on the menu and the dining halls are standardized in nutrition so the information is static for all the standard items, so all we have to do is make sure we follow those recipes in the dinings and food courts and then we should be good to go.”

Chartwells is confident the changes will be beneficial to all Texas State University Students as they will be able to see the different kinds of food the dining halls have to offer, and create and follow their own dietary plans.