HUDS models the Planetary Health Diet for Harvard Chan Nutrition Round Table

Twice a year, leading nutrition researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition present their current work to the Nutrition Round Table (NRT), a collective of philanthropists and food systems practitioners. The NRT explores opportunities to connect research to practical applications for improving societal nutrition. On Oct. 1, Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) was honored to join the NRT to demonstrate their influence on HUDS’ menus, starting with a luncheon framed by the Planetary Health Diet advanced in the EAT Lancet Report.

The program started with a lunch designed by Martin Breslin, director for Culinary Operations. With dishes such as sorghum salad, New England kelp salad, roulade of salmon, and whole wheat soda bread, the meal prioritized vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins, especially seafood. Frank Hu, Frederick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition noted, “I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the HUDS team for their superb work. The food was not only healthy and delicious but also beautifully presented and environmentally friendly.”

HUDS’ managing director, Smitha Haneef, then highlighted how those core nutritional values and priorities appear in the much larger food experience of the Harvard community, where HUDS serves 23,000 meals a day to undergraduates, professional school students, faculty, staff, and guests. Featured examples include the Greens & Grains bowl stations at the undergraduate dining halls, which have expanded student consumption of vegetables and whole grains; plant proteins at the center of the plate, such as the Harvard Kennedy School’s breakfast option of chickpeas and spinach; shifting towards plant-based dairy, such as the provision of oat milk soft serve; and the use of local, biodiverse, seasonal ingredients, as featured in Delish! Dishes at the College.

The meeting included a demonstration of razor clam cooking led by Chris Kelly, executive chef at Harvard Chan School.

Harvard University Dining Services operates 13 residential dining halls, 14 campus retail cafes, a kosher kitchen, and complete catering services. As the country’s oldest collegiate food service operation, HUDS serves  5 million meals annually with a 650-person staff.