WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST AT PENN STATE?
Part of an ongoing series on ingredients served at U.S. Colleges and Universities
Information updated April 2025
I received a reader request to review Breakfast at Penn State, the meal occasion which this reader believes is, “The most important meal of the day, especially for students.”
Penn State is Pennsylvania State University. Data for this review came from the Penn State Dining Web site 4/25:
Unfortunately, there are only a couple of items available at Penn State Breakfast which are Closest To Homemade >> offerings which are made with the type of ingredients we would use at home to make the item
Seen below, even simple Breakfast items at Penn State contain commercial ingredients we would never use at home including Artificial Flavors, Chemical Preservatives, Emulsifying Agents, Color Retention Agents, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Oils and Commercial Oils such as Soybean and Palm.
BREAKFAST BURRITO: Below are the ingredients in the Breakfast Burrito at Penn State >> there are many ingredients which would never be in our home kitchens including six Chemical Preservatives and six ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods >> ingredients which — among others — Whole Foods cites as “Unacceptable in food”. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 4/25)
Shown below, BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF: The Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf has four ingredients banned at Whole Foods including Artificial Flavors and Artificial Color.
ASSORTED DONUTS: The ingredient list for the Assorted Donuts at Penn State is staggering with multiple inclusions of nine different ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods.
SIGNIFICANT SUGAR: One serving of the Zucchini Bread and one serving of the Pumpkin Bread contain 54g and 46g of Added Sugar, respectively >> these Penn State Breakfast Breads contain more Added Sugar than the American Heart Association recommends for adults for an entire day.
CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN: The Chocolate Chip Muffin at Penn State has six ingredients banned at Whole Foods including Artificial Flavor, Artificial Colors, Bleached Flour and Chemical Preservative.
See what’s on the menu at some other U.S. Colleges and Universities:
Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 300+ 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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