UCLA Dining Services first posted nutritional information online in 2008, but some meal items are still missing analysis.
In 2008, Dining Services purchased a software system called FoodPro, which calculates the nutritional value of the foods and recipes served on the Hill, said Joanne McGill, assistant director of business services of UCLA Dining Services. Through the software, ingredients are tied to the United States Department of Agriculture’s database, which provides a nutrient breakdown.
Among the missing data is the amount of trans fat, which is listed as unavailable for most menu items.
California was the first state to ban trans fats, which were linked to health problems, when Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB97 in 2008.
The law required UCLA Dining Services to have labels on hand for its ingredients and to eliminate trans fat from oils and spreads by January 2010, said Daryl Ansel, UCLA food and beverage director. By 2011, all but trace amounts of trans fat will be prohibited.
Ansel said the missing information is due to the limited resources available to UCLA Dining Services and the amount of research necessary to obtain the information.
Packaged goods have a nutritional breakdown, but wholesale food simply comes with a list of ingredients, which can make calculating the amount of trans fat difficult, Ansel said.
“For some of the goods, frankly, the labeling is inconclusive and unclear,” Ansel said.
McGill said only a single graduate student in the School of Public Health works part-time to place the information online.
“If we had three more people, it would be wonderful,” McGill said.
Roger Pigozzi, assistant director and corporate chef of UCLA Dining Services, said trans fats are stabilizers and preservatives, but Dining Services makes most of its own items, especially in the De Neve commissary, where a cook and chill system can preserve some food longer than it needs to be preserved.
Information for Café 1919’s gelatos, sorbets and bottled beverages are missing, but McGill said she was unaware that UCLA Dining Services currently listed any recipes other than entrees under the online nutritional information.
In addition, nutritive analysis for De Neve Late Night is completely unavailable.
McGill said she was unaware of this lack of information and plans to check if that is the result of a broken link.
She said the site is always under construction because of the update of recipes and a 28-day menu cycle.
“It’s spotty,” Ansel said. “There are various items … sometimes new dishes that we haven’t caught up with.”
Despite the nutritive analysis only recently having been made available to students online, some students said they distrust the information and do not use it as a reference before eating.
“You’d have to calculate means and standard deviations,” Garik Rostomyan, a fourth-year electrical engineering student, said jokingly. “Slightly larger portions are more calories.”
He said nutritional value is not among his concerns.
“I don’t think (UCLA Dining Service’s) information is that accurate,” said Steve Dai, a fourth-year electrical engineering student.
On the other hand, Denise Jin, a third-year business economics student, said the information is very useful because it identifies healthy substitutions, such as the benefits of ordering a turkey sandwich with wheat bread instead of white.
Common sense is a good way to start thinking about food, said Susan Bowerman, assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Bowerman also stated that foods with fat and starch are usually brown and beige, but natural colors indicate plant foods that can contain fiber and antioxidants.
But determining information like the amount of fat in food can be tricky, she said.
Bowerman said the nutritional information online can help students make better choices, and some information is more useful than none.