UCLA now offers kosher and halal options in Covel Commons dining hall to supplement traditional meal plans, after a three-year development in response to demands by Muslim and Jewish students.
Kosher food adheres to Jewish guidelines that determine what types of meat are used and how the food is prepared. Halal meals follow Islamic codes and prohibits cooking with alcohol and pork.
The kosher and halal supplemental meal plans, which give students access to swipes that will 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, in addition to the cost of whichever regular meal plan students choose.
Karen Hedges, associate director of UCLA Residential Life, said she could not estimate the total cost of the kosher and halal supplemental meal plans for UCLA Dining Services.
After Hill residents swipe into Covel Commons dining hall, they will be required to use the additional swipe to access prepackaged lunches and dinners that meet the religious regulations. Students will still have access to the rest of the food available in the dining hall.
Bruin Café has offered kosher sandwiches since 2006. Students can purchase a kosher sandwich for an additional regular meal swipe.
Hedges said the options were created because of high demand from students. UCLA Dining Services used a student survey in 2015 to determine that about 200 students who are living on the hill adhere to kosher or halal meal restrictions.
“We had Muslim and Jewish students coming to us as a united front,” Hedges said.
After student groups reached out to the Office of Residential Life, they were surveyed to determine what types of food different religious groups most needed.
Hedges said the meals took three years to plan because the UCLA administration had to work with students to research different options and choose vendors.
Hedges added UCLA administrators did not designate a separate dining hall that served kosher and halal options because they wanted Muslim and Jewish students to be able to eat with everyone else.
BBC Cafe in Beverly Hills supplies kosher food, and Sabzee Market in Encino is the halal vendor, Hedges said.
Abdullah Haikal, the Muslim Student Association president, said he has never used an on-campus meal plan, but other members of MSA are beginning to try the new halal options.
“A lot of the Muslim members have told me (the halal options are) ridiculously expensive,” said Haikal.
He said he hopes the options will be expanded beyond Covel Commons in the future so students can eat at the other dining halls as well.
“We really appreciate the halal option is there because it’s amazing for us,” Haikal said. “But I would like (administrators) to explain why it’s so expensive.”
Hedges added UCLA Residential Life would eventually like to expand the kosher and halal options to faculty and all students if there is more demand, although no definite plans have been made.
Compiled by Jillian Frankel, Bruin senior staff.