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Umass's Argument

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It can be tough being a University of Massachusetts student, like sophomore Josh McCawley '18, at times. Struggling sports teams and Amherst's cold weather can be harsh.

But in other aspects, it’s not bad at all to be at UMass.

“The food’s usually incredible,” McCawley stated. “When I first came here on a visit, I was nervous that it would be different than what I had back home in New Jersey, but all doubts have been wiped away by now.”

UMass should embrace its elite spot on The Princeton Review’s campus food list in 2015. Out of 379 universities, UMass finished in the #2 spot behind Bowdoin College in Maine for the title of the best on-campus dining experience.

“I have friends at other schools who complain about their campus food, and …show more content…

It’s a cornerstone of the model the university has built when it comes to dining and this ideal consistently leads key people like Ken Toong, Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises, back to local sources.

“Ten or 12 years ago, like everyone else, we were buying mostly from the typical conventional food distributors,” Toong once said in a Boston Globe interview. “We said to ourselves, this is not enough, we should be able to do better. For every product we purchased, we started to ask, can we buy this locally …show more content…

Garett Distefano, Director of Residential Dining, explained to the Globe.

“Seafood is a good example. All the seafood we source here is sustainable, such as salmon and cod. We’ve also, however, started to work with local fisherman to use underutilized fish. That is, buying fish that would otherwise be considered by catch and never brought to market. So, for instance, redfish or pollock. We’re introducing students to these fish in order to make them more acceptable and mainstream.”

Locally grown, healthy, and sustainable products, such as vegetables or meat, have proven to be effective and are some of McCawley’s favorites.

“My go-to meal is usually pasta with ground beef and broccoli,” he says, “but I also love things like stir fry and salad. . . I like knowing that my food is being brought to me the right way.”

“In general, I look forward to every time I go to a dining all,” McCawley

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