Challenges Facing the Food System in the Campus

Campus Food System
Name
Institution
Date
Campus Food System Reflection
Challenges
One major challenge affecting the Campus Food System is its inability to assure the school of environmental sustainability. The amount of litter from the system is problematic and desired quick and immediate actions. For instance, disposable food containers form a significant percentage of the disposables in the litter cans. There are plastic bags used in the food system that account for huge percentages of environmental degradation. These include the plastic bottles used for soft drinks, the metal cans used by soft drink companies, and the carrier bags used in the school. These are some of the elements that need to be eliminated from the food system to promote the UW campus's sustainability goals. While these have specific disposal areas, it is critical to find alternatives, to reduce these materials from the environment.
As a host of a diverse population of students, the University of Washington food system fails to acknowledge all the learners' diverse needs. There is a challenge to incorporate all the traditional or cultural food products from every culture in the school. The issue reflects the school food system as bias as some of the students might feel unrecognized. Although the learners are in no position to demand the food product they want to consume, it is imperative to have a system that appreciates diversity (Gaitán-Cremaschi et al., 2019). The system should foster an environment where students can appreciate cultures and feel comfortable visiting foreign countries of cultures after graduation. Many learners would appreciate trying the different menus and enjoying delicacies while acknowledging and appreciating a diverse population.
Hygiene is an important factor in the food sector and areas associated with the preparation, production, and food serving. The hygiene aspect becomes a challenge in the UW campus as the students tend to flock to the food pantry and may come along with various dirt, including germs and bacteria that may find their way into the food. Typically, people encounter germs almost everywhere and can carry them from the surface to the surface. In this respect, the line-up for food may allow students to walk through the pantry and may disperse the germs across the area. The consequences of the transmission might be a bacterial infection and a resulting stomach upset that might interfere with the school program and the learners' health and well-being.
Recommendations
The COVID-19 pandemic saw the development and implementation of online services in the campus food system. The approach was designed as a measure to counter the spread of the coro...