As a company dedicated to fueling young Americans, Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services has joined the effort in providing the most healthful dining options possible for TTU students, faculty and staff.

Chartwells announced in April 2006 that all accounts were required to transition to trans-fat free soy oil. In keeping with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Medical Association recommendations to minimize trans-fat consumption, Chartwells has taken a proactive position to reduce trans-fat in its campus cafes and has made the following changes:

Cooking & Fryer Oil - The MarketPlace has switched to using non-hydrogenated, trans-fat free canola oil and/or olive oil for cooking and non-hydrogenated canola or soybean oils in the fryers. Though they cannot entirely eliminate trans-fats from all food (as they occur naturally in small amounts in dairy, meat and poultry and is also created when oil is heated, or when exposed to air) Chartwells is now using trans-fat free oils that significantly reduce the amount of trans-fats in any fried food it serves. Chartwells' purchasing department provides a zero trans-fat frying oil in every distribution center.

Snacks - There is a massive reformulation effort underway by the manufacturers and producers, so many more trans-fat free snacks and baked goods will be made available.

Fried Foods - From a nutritional perspective, Chartwells does not encourage eating fried food in general. However, it does provide fried food choices as requested by many of its clients and customers. Chartwells says it is doing so in the most responsible manner by using only trans-fat free oils.

Chartwells claims it is committed to providing healthy menu items and will not substitute saturated fat or promote products that have added saturated fat for the sake of eliminating trans-fat.

For more information on Chartwells' transition to zero trans fat oils, e-mail Lindsey Marx at LMarx@tntech.edu.