By Luis Palomino/Staff Writer

Fresh Ideas, the food service provider for Missouri Valley College, is facing a tough semester due to an national egg shortage, student demands and President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are bringing costs up.

In addition to the well-known tariffs, the US has also been facing an egg shortage due to a widespread outbreak of avian influenza. Students have noticed different menu changes and expressed their concern about food quality and fewer options on their meals.

Josh Sanchez, Executive Chef, said: “As of right now, the tariffs aren´t affecting too much, eventually they will.”

The more immediate challenge is the egg shortage, which resulted from an outbreak of bird flu. This has obligated the cafeteria team to take action in the menu.

 “We´ve basically reduced the amount of eggs going out for scrambled eggs; everybody can still get theirs from the omelet station,” said Sanchez.

The cafeteria team is working what Sanchez calls a “nontraditional menu.”

“We are running a nontraditional menu from what we have done in the past,” he said. “Change sucks but until the avian flu passes we got to do what we gotta do.”

Despite the changes and constraints that the whole industry faces, Sanchez assures that all students’ dietary needs are being met. 

“We have food for anybody,” Sanchez said regarding any dietary restrictions or special requests.

These challenges are intensified by the need for protein that Valley students require daily. Abbey Smith, Director of Dining Services of Fresh Ideas, confirms that food costs at MVC run higher than at typical colleges.

“Compared to other Fresh Ideas units, our food cost is higher than the norm,” she said. “The majority of our students are athletes, so the way they eat is different from colleges that aren’t made up mainly of athletes.”

“It is annoying when you have pasta, rice and bread in the same line. What am I supposed to eat?” said V. Bosdari, a student athlete.

Keeping variety under these conditions requires effort.

“We are working hard on trying to keep variety going,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez and Smith encourage students to give feedback so they can be part of the menu-building process. 

“It would be nice to get all that student feedback so we can really build menus that you enjoy,” Smith said.

As the semester keeps going, dining services will keep building menus that fit the budget realities and different shortages. Certain items may appear less frequently than others but the Fresh Ideas team emphasized their commitment to keep athletes and all students well fed.

If you have any dietary restrictions or are willing to give some feedback about dining services, feel free to contact Abbey Smith at asmith@freshideasfood.com.