Kent State University’s Dining Services has become the
first four-year college in Ohio to get an “A” grade by peta2,
an animal rights group, for offering vegan choices at
Dining Services.

Kent State University’s Dining Services has become the first four-year college in Ohio to get an “A” grade by peta2, an animal rights group, for offering vegan choices at Dining Services.

peta2 issued its Vegan Report Card for four-year colleges with dining services in the U.S. It gives a letter grade to each school based on its vegan options.

The university was graded based on criteria including: offers at least one vegan entrée every meal, labels vegan desserts and entrees, includes a vegan member in student advisory board, promotes vegan options, partners with students to distribute vegan foods and offers nondairy milk and an all-vegan station.

“Dining Services started exploring the vegan options five years ago when the students demanded them,” says Richard Roldan, director of Dining Services. “Kent State is all about listening to its students. Dining Services understood them and earned the grade as students talked about the vegan choices.”

Dining Services offers many vegan options through its Veggie A-Go-Go call-ahead vegan, vegetarian and gluten free made-to-order takeout menu. These options include vegetable chow mein, pasta with olives and tomatoes, spinach cranberry sunflower salad, Luna burger (an artisan veggie burger) classic and Luna burger garden thyme. The students call ahead and make an order that they later pick up.

“A lot of vegan options include soy products that are not very tasty, so we call students to taste and approve the food items,” says Roldan. Dining Services collaborates with students by holding meetings where they contribute by selecting and preparing vegan options, he says.

Find more information about the Kent State dining plans.