Tsebo to Replace Abela in Coming Weeks

By: Nesrien Abdelkader

@NesrienAshraf

A new vendor is expected to soon begin operations replacing Abela’s Kitchen and offer something AUCians have been calling for – healthy eating options.

Ramy Salah, Country Managing Director of TSEBO Egypt, announced at the World Food Day event hosted by the Office of University Food Services last week that the international dining provider will begin its services in AUC this semester and offer innovative dining options.

Healthy eating is a big concern among AUC students. Many agree that having healthier food options is important to them.

“Last semester, I didn’t eat on campus at all, so I had to wait until I got home to eat. Now my only option is Formula Onederful. Sometimes I check Tabali. I think they should offer more healthy options. The main food vendor has been closed since the beginning of the semester, so I think they should reopen it,” Mechanical Engineering senior Zeyad Shoeib said.

Shoeib explained that there were a lot more food outlet options back when he first enrolled in 2015.

With the recent shutdown of the campus’s main cafeteria, Abela’s Kitchen, students had been left with even fewer food options. The Americana Food Court is home to Baskin Robbins, Butcher’s Burgers, Subway and Smiley’s Grill. Students craving a snack can head to Quick 24, the Student Union Market or Seoudi.

“If there are salads being sold, they’re in a small quantity so they finish quickly. Sometimes I want a salad at the end of the day and I can’t find any,” Sohaila Osman, Integrated Marketing Communication freshman said.

Other options include Cilantro, Tabali, The Bakery Shop (TBS) and Tarwi2a. Formula Onederful is AUC’s healthiest option.

All that may now change with Tsebo entering the AUC fold.

TSEBO has been catering for over 50 years across Africa and the Middle East, and their services cover different places such as schools, corporations and government institutions.

“We pride ourselves in providing students with a wide range of modern and healthy meal options, packed with great value and nutritional goodness. We can cater for the student’s individual needs, ranging from special dietary requirements to special sports nourishment programmes,” according to TSEBO’s official website.

A wider range of eating options including healthier meals is surely to please students like Economics junior Mariam Mosleh who told The Caravan that she was forced to go off-campus to find healthy food options.

“Even in TBS, the options are much more limited than [in other branches] off-campus,” she said.

“A healthy diet is extremely important for university students. They are at their peak time for activity and energy and require a great number of calories every day to cope with school and extracurricular activities,” said Ahmed Abdellatif, assistant professor at the Department of Biology.

He explained that a balanced diet should contain carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as fruits and vegetables to adequately support the body.

However, Abdellatif said that AUC gives students acceptable food options and it is the students’ job of to seek out healthy choices and avoid processed food and carbonated, high energy drinks.

According to the World Health Organization, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, reducing fat, sugar and salt intake along with exercise are important to maintain a healthy lifestyle.