USU celebrates third annual national Food Day

By Jamie Keyes

Utah State University’s dietetics program hosted its third annual Food Day on Thursday in the Taggart Student Center. The theme for this year’s event was “the deep blue goes green.”

The smell of fish filled the hallways while USU chefs demonstrated different ways to cook it.

Food Day is a nationwide celebration that promotes healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.

Thirty-four dietetic students were involved in the event. Several of them were managing information booths teaching students how to buy, cook and preserve fish. Others were serving different fish entrees and various 

side dishes to students.

Tamara Steinitz, director of the dietetics program and associate professor in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, spent the previous two summers in Port Orford, Ore. and was “impressed how the community was supported by fish.”

It was Steinitz’s idea to endorse seafood.

Alan Andersen, the director of dining services at USU, agreed with the idea and traveled to the Port Orford Sustainable Seafood facilities to take a tour and obtain the fish.

“Alan took three chefs and went to Oregon. These fish were caught on Sunday, flash frozen and shipped, and here they are today,” Steinitz said. “The fish is fresh.”

King salmon, two different types of cod and halibut were on display and used for demonstrations by USU chefs.

Food Day is a way to teach students “how to source food out that is sustainably raised and sustainably caught,” Steinitz said.

Seafood is not a common aspect of Utah’s agriculture industry but according to Steinitz “this is a way to find markets to distribute to.”

Hundreds of students attended the event and crowded around the information booths.

“I love seafood,” said Marissa Shirley, a freshmen at USU. Her favorite thing was a side dish of sweet potato soup and the different dinner combinations she learned about. Her main concern was that “seafood is 

a little too expensive.”

According to Steinitz, that is why Food Day is important, because it teaches students “how to take those problems and concerns and turn them into dinner.”

“Food Day is a great thing. Kids love to come and learn how to cook things cheap and easy,” said Laura Watkins, a senior in the dietetics program at USU. “It is great practice for dietetics because this is what we do in our unique career, help people apply information.”

“We are here to raise awareness,” Steinitz said.