A new movement is taking root at UCLA.
The national popularity of organic foods has continued to
increase over the past decade, and UCLA students and officials are
looking to jump on board with plans to include several organic food
options at on-campus eateries.
Though they are very early in the process, student groups are
teaming up with university officials to explore bringing organic
food to both on-campus dining halls and other eateries.
Nationwide, organic foods ““ products grown without
pesticides or other chemical additives ““ have become more
popular among consumers in recent years. Sales of organic food and
beverages in the U.S. have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to an
estimated $12.2 billion in 2004, according to the Organic Trade
Association.
That trend is evident elsewhere in the University of California.
Earlier this month, UC Berkeley launched the first certified
organic salad bar on a college campus, while UC Santa Cruz’s
organic-food program, which has been in use for three years, is
spreading to other campuses.
Shawn LaPean, director of Cal Dining, said providing food that
was certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers to be
organic was important to the inclusion of the new salad bar.
“We wanted to make sure there was integrity in the
program,” he said.
LaPean said the salad bar is one of the busiest locations on
campus.
Three years ago, UC Santa Cruz asked its dining halls to use
10-percent organic and local-grown food. On most nights, all five
UC Santa Cruz dining halls serve some produce from local, organic,
labor-friendly farms.
With these and other schools looking to incorporate organic
foods into their menus, the Associated Students UCLA and UCLA
Dining Services have begun to evaluate options for organic
foods.
Last week, representatives from ASUCLA, Housing and Dining
Services and various student groups met for the first time to plant
the seeds of organic food integration.
Their group, called the Food Systems Working Group, discussed
various options and formulated ideas for bringing organic foods to
campus.
Megan Carney, director of the UCLA chapter of the UC Sustainable
Foods campaign, said each UC campus is beginning to form groups
interested in organic inclusion, and over 6,000 student signatures
have been gathered statewide to encourage the addition of organic
food.
Director of UCLA Housing Michael Foraker said the move to
include organic foods has been driven by the demands of
residents.
“It’s not an easy task. But it’s the right
task,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges UC Berkeley faced in the
certification process was funding, as Cal Dining negotiated with
vendors to keep prices close to low, LaPean said.
Though he had no specific numbers available, Roy Champawat,
associate director of ASUCLA Restaurant Operations, said the added
cost could range between 5 and 200 percent more than processed
foods.
Connie Foster, associate director of UCLA Dining Services, said
she and several other representatives from UC campuses have
developed a committee that will work to secure the best pricing for
organic and sustainable foods.
According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation, a
public-interest organization based in Santa Cruz, the cost of
organic food is higher than that of conventional food because
organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations than
conventional foods.
At last week’s meeting, some students voiced their support
for more large-scale organic food plans, such as contracts with
California organic farmers and the use of cage-free chicken eggs,
though the majority of the group’s members agreed on taking
limited action initially to begin bringing organic foods to
UCLA.
“I’m a heavy advocate for (starting small),”
said Michael Cox, ex officio member of E3, an acronym for
“Ecology, Economy, Equity.”
ASUCLA and UCLA Dining Services representatives also discussed
upcoming plans to incorporate some degree of organic food on
campus.
Champawat discussed the introduction of a new organic-food
vendor in June called The Greenhouse.
The vendor will be located on the first floor of Ackerman Union,
replacing Tropix, and will serve organic foods.
“Our focus is on healthy eating, and organic foods
definitely play a part in that,” Champawat said.
Lisa Qin, a first-year business economics student, said she
believes organic foods are healthier than their processed
counterparts.
“I always make a huge effort to eat healthy but it’s
difficult with the food they serve on campus,” Qui said.
“I think having more organic food would provide many
healthier options to students.”
But it is unclear as to whether organic alternatives are truly
healthier.
According to the OTA Web site, there “is no conclusive
evidence at this time to suggest that organically produced foods
are more nutritious,” but the group said the lack of
insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers used in
growing organic foods makes farming techniques safer.
A 2002 study by the Institute for Food Technologies said while
many consumers believe organic to equate to healthier, there is
greater potential for contamination by food-borne pathogens carried
by livestock and poultry and shed in their feces.
Providing the organic-food option to students is something
ASUCLA is very interested in, Champawat said.
“Even though it’s not technically feasible for us to
be certified right now, it’s definitely something we’re
looking into,” Champawat said. “We … want to provide
students with the organic food they want.”
He said construction schedules are not definite for The
Greenhouse and the Cooperage remodel, and construction may not
begin this summer.
UCLA Dining Services is also considering the inclusion of
organic foods on the Hill for on-campus residents.
Foster said students and UCLA Dining Services will be looking at
a comprehensive plan for future organic-food offerings, though she
said it was unclear at this point where or when students could
expect those offerings to be
available.
“We’d like to have them available in multiple
locations,” she said.
Organic food is on the forefront of dining, and including it in
Hill dining halls and restaurants is “the right thing to
do,” Foster said.
In regard to becoming certified organic, Foster said more
research must be done before deciding whether to seek
certification.
With reports from Bruin wire services.