Is Dockside Dining Healthy?
Written by Annastatia Brooks
Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Saint Mary's University Conference Services & Summer Accommodations on Facebook
It is vital that students who are actively studying every day receive adequate nutrition in order to study and complete assignments to the best of their ability. For students living in a Residence building without a kitchen, such as Loyola North and Vanier, the Dockside Dining Hall is the main source of meals for most students. Dockside is the cafeteria for Saint Mary’s University (SMU) students living in Residences. They provide buffet-style meal services that allow for flexible and variable meal options. Though Dockside offers a variety of special-diet meals such as Vegetarian, Vegan, No Gluten, No Dairy, and Halal, this begs the question of whether or not Dockside, a school cafeteria, provides healthy and nutritious meal options.
SMU Dining is transparent about the nutritional value of the foods that they provide; an online menu allows students to see the meals being served for the day. You can even click on a single food item to see the ingredients list, as well as nutritional information such as calories, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein. What these nutritional facts do not discuss is the types of oils chefs use when cooking these meals, and it could leave students wondering if the menu options are actually healthy compared to Canada's Dietary Guidelines in Canada's Food Guide.
Students have also expressed concern over inaccurately labeled food; on multiple occasions during my two years in Residence eating at Dockside, I have read a label saying that something was vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. When I inquired about it, just to make sure, I was told that the meal actually contained meat, milk, or wheat flour. Not only is this mislabeling incredibly concerning for students with religious dietary restrictions and for those who are on a diet, as they may be eating foods they are avoiding without knowing, but it is also alarming for students with allergies where their lives may be threatened due to this oversight.
Rachel Reid is a second-year student studying physics and math. She spent her first year eating at Dockside while living in Loyola North, and she now lives in an apartment with a kitchen. As an athletic student, her opinions on Dockside’s provision of nutritious and balanced meals are invaluable.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: What sports are you involved in, do you value fitness, and would you consider yourself an athletic person?
Rachel: “I would consider myself to be a very outgoing person; I love spending my free time being active and adventurous. I love keeping fit by doing activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, swimming, and going to the gym.”
Q: What do you do during your daily life off campus to ensure you are receiving adequate nutrition?
Rachel: “I love food, so it is very important to me to eat well. Thankfully, I also really enjoy cooking. I spend lots of time in my apartment preparing well-balanced meals so that when the day-to-day life of school gets more hectic, I still have healthy meals ready to go. I also ensure that I always have fresh fruit and veggies on hand for quick nutritious snacks, such as smoothies!”
Q: When eating at Dockside, did you find that you were able to stick to this lifestyle, or was it difficult?
Rachel: “At Dockside, it was difficult to enjoy the food I was consuming. Most days, I did not meet any nutritional goals, nor did I feel satisfied with what I was eating. The options were often limited due to the time of the day and what fruits were available from the suppliers, which was frustrating. The operating hours did not always work with my schedule, so I found myself hungry in the early morning, afternoon, and late in the evening when they were closed, having to rely on my own snacks. The dietary restriction options were also horrible, in my opinion.”
Q: Would you recommend Dockside for other athletes?
Rachel: “With a busy student athlete schedule, the convenience of Dockside is unmatched. However, due to the limited nutritional and dietary restrictions options, lack of flexibility in the hours, and not being able to take food on the run, I would not recommend Dockside for other athletes.”
Q: What do you think Dockside can improve in order to provide more well-rounded and nutritious meal options for all students?
Rachel: “They should start by improving the meal options for those with dietary restrictions. They should then expand the salad bar to have more sources of protein and fresher veggies. Dockside needs to stop wasting good produce that is cut up and used for display only, and they should ensure they have enough supply of all the healthy options so choices are never limited. Most importantly, they should heed the students' needs, and follow through on reasonable requests. When paying such a steep price for a meal plan, students should have access to foods they can eat, access to foods that have actual nutritional value, and access to these foods during a reasonable schedule.”
Photo by Alyxahndrya Bennett on Foursquare.com
Finally, I interviewed an anonymous student who has been vegetarian for five years. This student ate at Dockside for two years while living in Loyola Residence, and since they have a dietary restriction, their opinions on whether Dockside food is healthy or not are of great importance.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: While eating at Dockside, did you feel you were receiving adequate nutrition?
A: “No, I did not. Even though my dietary restrictions were not that difficult to accommodate, I still found myself on multiple occasions having to eat raw tofu cubes to get my protein for the day. On paper, all the nutrients that I required were available, but I found that the quality of the food led to students not eating all those foods with meat alternatives because they were simply not appetizing for other people with dietary restrictions. I spent a lot of time eating with other students who had dietary restrictions and they found the situation to be similar.”
Q: What have you seen Dockside put in place to ensure vegetarian students eat balanced meals, including getting all their proteins, fibers, and grains?
A: “I have seen that Dockside provides nutrition for vegetarian students, but they do so in an unappetizing way. Raw protein cubes at the salad bar is technically a source of protein, but it is incredibly unappetizing after so many weeks of the same thing. Technically they do provide for their vegetarian students, but a proper diet requires variety, which I have found is not what is offered at Dockside all the time for vegetarian students.”
Q: Has Dockside provided alternatives for students with dietary restrictions?
A: “Meat alternatives are available at the Spice Station, which essentially tries to encompass all food restrictions in one meal. I have found, when talking to people around me, that this often results in food that nobody enjoys, but I do recognize that this benefits students with overlapping food restrictions.
“The Pangeos station is very accommodating! Due to the face-to-face nature, the chef can take into consideration your restrictions and provide proper meals, not just give students trays of food and have them figure it out themselves. At the Spice Station, the vegetarian option is there, but it doesn’t feel like the staff cares as much; at the Comfort Zone new trays are coming in all the time, but the vegetarian option is left to dry under a heat lamp. The way it is served feels lacking compared to the other options.”
Photo by Vishwa Bhayani on Foursquare.com
Q: What changes have you seen at Dockside over the past two years to address the health concerns that students have had?
A: “While I was at Dockside, Pangeos changed from breakfast and lunch to lunch and supper, so I knew that on Monday to Thursday, I could always count on having a good lunch and supper. Even though I missed the breakfast option at Pangeos, I recognize that in the grand scheme of things I depended on the made-to-order vegetarian lunch and supper from Pangeos.”
Q: Does Dockside change up the healthy vegetarian meal options to prevent monotony?
A: “They do, they have a shepherd's pie, eggplant parmesan, vegan cheese quesadillas, vegan meatballs, and tofu stir-frys. The options are not monotonous but I find that the flavor profile is. If you do want good, flavorful food, the Pangeos custom stir-fry is a great option.”
Q: How do you hope to see SMU Dining improve Dockside in the future to allow students greater access to healthy meals?
A: “I can’t see them getting better with the supplier that they have, and I think it would be very difficult to make food for such a large number of people taste excellent. If they want to improve the situation, I think they should invest in the face-to-face model like at Pangeos. Food that is made in front of you is so much better than food served under a heat lamp.
“I also think that SMU Dining needs to put more effort into the weekend meals. Just because it is a weekend, it does not mean students deserve lower quality foods and lower availability since there is not even a morning hot breakfast, just brunch.
“Also, Dockside needs to label the food correctly and ensure the staff know the ingredients. I have been told to my face by a staff member that a meal was vegetarian, so I began eating it. Later, after I had eaten a portion of the meal, the staff member came to find me to tell me that the “vegan meat” was actually beef. There is no reason not to know if there is meat in a meal or not. It made me lose trust in Dockside and it made me second guess all the food they were serving when I was just trying to feed myself without wondering if I was actually eating meat. It is a sign of gross disorganization and it is disrespectful to students who put their trust in this school. It shows that they are not able to feed students meals with a guarantee that it will not harm them.
“In saying this, I love the staff with my whole heart, and they make Dockside worth it. I can safely say that the thing I miss most from Dockside is the sense of community and the wonderful staff members, not the food.”
In April of 2024, a survey was conducted with the Wicked Problems Lab. They received around 180 responses from faculty, staff, and students.
Concerning variety and quality, the respondents said that SMU Dining needs to improve “hours and variety availability—faculty, staff, and some students are on campus ALL YEAR, but food options dwindle during breaks”. They also suggested “more local options, like a local coffee shop instead of Tim Hortons.”
In terms of dietary and cultural inclusivity, requests included “label allergies and provide staff with ingredient lists”. There was also a desire for “more Asian food, specifically Vietnamese, and for the food bank to provide more culturally diverse foods”.
Even without interviewing every respondent, the survey showed a clear message: there is a demand for better food variety, quality, and inclusivity on campus. Students want to see a change, and they want their voices to be heard by SMU Dining.
The Journal reached out to the SMU Dining dietician, but a one-on-one interview was unable to be arranged.
SMU Dining has made an effort to provide information regarding the ingredients and nutritional values for all the foods they offer. They meet dietary restriction needs and they provide access to a campus dietitian. However, considering that Dockside is the primary food provider for most students living in Residences without kitchens, the lack of variety and the lack of an ensured tasty and healthy meal option is concerning. Most importantly, though, SMU Dining's failure to provide a safe meal to all students remains at the forefront of concern. It is deeply troubling for students who have been affected by this, and it creates an atmosphere of distrust as the anonymous student interview has illustrated.
To get involved and make a change with SMU Dining, join the Food Committee to voice your and your peer’s concerns about Dockside and other SMU Dining locations. You can sign up to volunteer with the committee here. If you have any questions concerning Dockside or wish to have a personal tour of all the options provided, contact the SMU Dietitian at dietitian@smu.ca. Thank you to Rachel and the anonymous student for participating in the interviews for this article.