UCLA Dining Services officials announced Wednesday they will offer the same halal and kosher options for lunch and dinner until the end of the quarter, and refund students who purchased the supplemental meal plan earlier this quarter.
Karen Hedges, associate director of UCLA Residential Life, said the low number of students who bought the plan could not financially support the program. In response, dining officials eliminated the rotating menu to lower food transportation costs, Hedges said. Kosher and halal options are still available every day, but students can no longer select meals from different lunch and dinner menus.
Hedges said vendors, who previously delivered frozen meals twice every day, now make deliveries about every two weeks. The money officials saved allows dining officials to offer the plan at no additional cost, she added.
The kosher and halal supplemental meal plans, which gave students access to swipes to be used in addition to their regular meal plans, cost about $900 for lunch only, $1,700 for dinner only or $2,600 for both meals.
READ MORE: Covel Commons dining hall offers kosher and halal options
Kosher meals follow Jewish dietary restrictions that dictate how food is prepared and which meats are used. Halal meals adhere to Islamic standards, which prohibit cooking with alcohol or pork.
Hedges said Dining Services used a survey to estimate about 200 students living on the Hill maintain kosher or halal diets, but significantly less bought the supplemental meal plan.
Ayesha Rasheed, external vice president of the Muslim Student Association, said she thinks about 30 Muslim students now use the halal option. Rasheed, a third-year biology student, said she thinks the inclusive dining options allow Jewish and Muslim students to be a part of the dining hall experience on the Hill.
Raphe Burstein, a first-year undeclared student who purchased the kosher supplemental meal plan earlier this quarter, said he noticed there was less variety after officials made the change, but is glad he no longer has to use an additional swipe for every meal.
“The new changes have made the dining hall experience more accessible to everyone,” Burstein said. “Both Jewish and Muslim students can now adhere to their dietary needs while eating on the Hill with their fellow classmates.”