In order to streamline and modernize the college dining experience, Campus Dining Services has introduced [Zoutrition](http://128.206.12.144/NetNutrition/Home.aspx), an online tool for students to fully customize their dining experience.
The service features full menus of all dining halls and most other restaurants on campus. Students can create meals by choosing listed foods and beverages, which appear on the side of the web page. Once a meal is completed, students can view information such as calorie count, fat content and percent daily value of vitamins.
When selecting items, students can also select boxes to exclude menu items including allergens such as wheat, milk and peanuts, as well as items conflicting with vegetarian and vegan diets.
Previously, CDS gave dining halls printed menus with the nutritional content of foods. There was a significant student push to move the service online, and after more than two years of development the site debuted for the fall semester.
The company helping to develop the website also provides CDS with its cash register software. No web design or computer programming students were involved.
“It was a need that we saw, and we had a lot of requests for,” CDS Marketing Manager Michael Wuest said. “This was definitely a student-driven product.”
Wuest said student response to the service has been positive. CDS had a booth set up during Fall Welcome for students to browse.
“We were showcasing Zoutrition and we probably had 500 to 600 students come through,” he said. “They were very excited about it.”
Students said the website could be convenient to their dining needs.
“It would be convenient for people with lactose intolerance, and it’s just a good tool for dining purposes,” freshman David Klein said.
The website is not completely all-inclusive. Freshman Meghan Eldridge is allergic to tree nuts and peanuts and expressed concerns about the service.
“I don’t think it’s in a stage yet that is fool-proof,” she said.
Nonetheless, Wuest said the site is being improved every day. Students can personally meet dining hall chefs and go through recipes thoroughly to customize meals to their individual needs.
“We take allergies very seriously, and try to make sure that every student has a good nutritional experience,” Wuest said.
Wuest also spoke about what roles he hopes the site serves.
“I think it’s just an enhancement of our dining program more than anything,” he said. “It really gives us this other element of the program, this online nutritional resource for our customers. It’s a great system, it works very well, and to be able to go on at any time and plan out how you’re eating for the week.”
The site is advertised on placards on dining hall tables, and can be accessed through the [CDS website](dining.missouri.edu).