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A group of students help themselves to organic food at UC Berkeley’s Crossroads dining faci

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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.

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