Though Greenhouse, the new restaurant in Ackerman Union, is advertised as offering health food, there are currently no nutritional facts available to its patrons.
Roy Champawat, Associated Students UCLA student union director, said ASUCLA does not have the software to “spit out nutritional information” for the new Greenhouse items.
He said ASUCLA has not had numerical nutritional information for any of its restaurants for several years.
“It was quite a while ago that we had that information,” he said.
David Duong, a fourth-year economics student who is currently an employee at Greenhouse, said some people have asked for the nutritional information.
“People want to know what they’re putting into their bodies,” he said.
Duong has heard from his managers that Greenhouse is working on getting a nutritional fact sheet, but noted that the employees do not know the nutritional value of the items they offer.
Champawat said it is difficult to determine nutritional information for buffet-style restaurants like Greenhouse because people mix items and create unique meals.
Since Greenhouse’s customers are “making their own choices,” it is nearly impossible to gauge the exact nutritional value of what they eat, Champawat said.
But he added that ASUCLA also does not have nutritional data on each individual menu item.
Seda Bolulu, a first-year global studies student, said she eats at Greenhouse because she believes it is healthier than other campus eateries.
“There’s a lot of unhealthy stuff on campus,” she said. “I think it is definitely healthier than other places.”
Though he does not know the nutritional content of the items served, Duong said he believes Greenhouse is healthier than other dining options.
“Everything else is pretty greasy,” he said, “I think we’re probably the healthiest, along with maybe Sbarro’s pasta.”
Greenhouse uses ingredients that make for healthier eating choices, Champawat said.
“We cook with olive oil. We use vegetable bases for our soups that don’t have meat in them. If an item has yogurt in it, it’ll be low-fat,” he said.
Bolulu said she recognizes that the nutritional value of Greenhouse meals is contingent on diners’ choices.
“It depends on the (salad) dressing,” she said. “But the greens, the chicken for protein ““ it’s healthier than eating fried stuff or some dining-hall food.”
ASUCLA also made an effort to incorporate whole-wheat items, which are typically absent from salad bars, Champawat said.
“You’re supposed to eat a lot of whole grains,” he said. “It’s not quite easy to get your grain content up at a salad bar, so we were pretty focused on that.”
He also cited individual hot dishes such as their whole-grain macaroni and cheese.
“We’re trying to give people as many healthy choices possible, and also trying to make those choices palatable,” he said.
Duong said Greenhouse’s sales are doing “awesome,” but his managers are always looking for ways to improve.
“The whole organic health thing is pretty popular amongst college students,” he said. “I think they’re trying to capture that.”
Bolulu said she would like to see nutritional information published for campus eateries.
“I count calories, and I know other people do too, so I really think that would be a good idea,” she said.