Part of an ongoing series on ingredients served at U.S. Colleges and Universities

Information updated July 2024

Following is the Healthy Eating Plate from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

NOTE THAT THE HEALTHY EATING PLATE HAS NO ADDED SUGAR:  ‘Your body doesn’t need to get any carbohydrate from added sugar. That’s why the Healthy Food Pyramid says sugary drinks and sweets should be used sparingly, if at all, and the Healthy Eating Plate does not include foods with added sugars.’ (Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Web site 7/24)

A Harvard article entitled “19 Take Home Messages for Health Professionals from Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives” includes the following:

#5 Avoid highly processed foods and desserts

With these thoughts in mind, let’s look at a few of the Desserts available at Harvard from Harvard University Dining Services:

1. COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE

Seen below, this highly processed Cookies and Cream Cake at Harvard is Far From Homemade with multiple ingredients we would never use in a homemade recipe.  It contains 14 ingredients banned at Whole Foods including multiple Chemical Preservatives, 4 Artificial Colors, 2 Artificial Flavors and Bleached Wheat Flour. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 7/24)

Products with artificial colors come with the following warning in the European Union: "May have adverse effect on activity and attention in children." 

2. APPLE CARAMEL CAKE

The Apple Caramel Cake at Harvard contains 17 ingredients banned at Whole Foods including Artificial Flavors, Artificial Colors, Chemical Preservatives and Hydrogenated Palm Oils.

3. VANILLA ICE CREAM 

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream includes heavy dairy, sugar, vanilla extract + egg yolks. Simple and delicious.

Hood Vanilla Ice Cream — below left — is offered by Harvard University Dining Services and is Far From Homemade™ with two ingredients banned at Whole Foods including High Fructose Corn Syrup and Artificial Flavors. In addition, Hood contains Polysorbate 80, Chemical Preservatives and Emulsifiers plus three thickening agents including Carrageenan to which many people have severe allergic reactions.

Compare Harvard-endorsed Hood Vanilla Ice Cream to Häagen-Dazs Vanilla which is certified as Closest To Homemade®.

Q: If you were paying significant sums to attend Harvard for an excellent education would you expect to also get excellent nutrition . . . especially when Harvard Medical School is advising you “avoid highly processed foods and desserts”?

We don't expect dessert to be super healthy, but does it have to be so Far From Homemade?

Q: Which one would you choose?

Q: On what basis does Harvard University make the decision to serve this highly processed ice cream to their students? 

4. STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

The Strawberry Cream Cake contains 15 ingredients banned at Whole Foods:

5. SUNDAE BAR

Here are the ingredients in some of the items available at Harvard’s Sundae Bar:

6. SALTED CARAMEL CAKE

The Salted Caramel Cake at Harvard is made with multiple inclusions of Soybean and Palm Oils and contains 13 ingredients banned at Whole Foods:

The dessert offerings from Harvard University Dining Services are disappointingly inconsistent with the reputation and knowledge of this revered American institution. 

Perhaps the Harvard School of Public Health could consult with Harvard Dining Services to provide Closest To Homemade fuel for some of the country's best brains.

See what’s for Lunch at Harvard:

See what’s on the menu at some other leading U.S. Colleges + Universities:

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories >> manufactured food + beverages whose ingredients are closest to those we would use at home to make the item. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

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