In the case of Cornell (and other large institutions), the task of cooking for thousands can actually have a positive impact on the local food movement; Cornell makes a significant effort to purchase food from local farmers. In addition, at Cornell, much of the dairy (milk and ice cream, and possibly other items) and juice (especially cider) comes from Cornell’s own dairy and orchards, just off-campus. For students who have never thought much about their food before, dining halls that try to make socially- and ecologically-conscious decisions - as incomplete as they may be - will likely increase their thoughtfulness about what they choose to eat.

Of course, housing co-ops or apartments, where students have to shop and cook for themselves, increase this consciousness much more, but the average college freshman probably thinks more about her food in a dining hall than she would elsewhere - in a cheap take-out restaurant down the street or in her dorm, hunched over a textbook as she eats microwaved annie’s mac and cheese.