Sep. 4 —When the Dining Commons opened on August 18th to serve students arriving on campus early, students discovered that the compostable to-go containers that have been provided for students since the fall 2020 semester were no longer there. After a flood of student emails, signage announcing the change was put up on August 20th.
When asked about the to-go containers, Nick Mason, the Senior Director of Dining Services, explained “the Dining Commons has traditionally been a dine-in-only facility,” and would be returning to that model for the fall semester. As such, to-go containers will not be provided.
This change in policy has been criticized for contributing to the difficulty of accessing food on campus, at a time when food access is already stressed by the dramatic reduction of the open hours of the Bridge Café. Students with tight schedules might not be able to find time to eat three complete meals a day, if they are required to eat their whole meal inside the Dining Commons. It also makes it effectively impossible for students to eat outside and enjoy the weather.
Many students have questioned the policy of not allowing outside to-go containers in the wake of this change, however this is a longstanding policy required for compliance with state regulations, which adopt the FDA’s 2013 Food Code nearly in its entirety. 3-303.17 of that code specifically prohibits food establishments from using consumer-owned containers for anything other than beverages, subject to restrictions. However, it does allow for establishments to offer a reusable take-and-return to-go box program like those that both Smith and Mount Holyoke have implemented since the beginning of the pandemic, a solution some students have advocated for.
In response to accessibility concerns, OARS is assessing long-term solutions to the problem. In the meantime, an interim solution has been arranged for students with accessibility needs to access to-go containers.
