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Tomato, tomahto. Let’s not call the whole thing off.

For months now, Taco Bell has been under fire about tomatoes. The dispute arises from allegations made by the employees of one of Taco Bell’s tomato suppliers. The pickers in the Immokalee region of Florida have contended that, aside from being forced to toil in poor working conditions, they are underpaid and forced to work overtime without compensation.

College campuses around the country have held hunger strikes in protest of the fast food giant. I must admit, I would probably engage in a hunger strike as well, but not because I am against Taco Bell’s labor practices – I just think its food is gross.

And further jeopardizing the Mexican restaurant’s future on campus, this week Taco Bell failed to provide the Associated Students of UCLA with a report detailing the pickers’ working conditions, breaking an agreement between the two sides.

It is unfortunate Taco Bell was unable to submit its findings on the Floridian labor conditions by the Monday deadline. But as college students, we should be the most forgiving of such an infraction.

We are all too aware of how quickly the due date for a report can sneak up on us. Even if a paper has been assigned for six months, it can still seem necessary to seek an extension.

While it is clear Taco Bell has much to clarify regarding the tomato situation in South Florida, it’s also clear that Taco Bell’s unnecessary removal from UCLA is not the way to do it.

The Taco Bell located on campus does not even receive tomatoes from Florida. This franchise has done nothing remotely wrong. The protesters are more interested in going after Taco Bell’s name than its actions. Forcing its expulsion would not only fail to impact the tomato situation but would harm the students who enjoy the affordability, convenience and taste of Taco Bell.

The Six L’s Packing Co. of Southern Florida is the company allegedly responsible for tomato pickers’ low wages, not Taco Bell. It is alleged that Six L’s pays its laborers as little as $.40 per bucket of tomatoes. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has every right to be infuriated and to seek higher wages from its employer. But targeting Taco Bell because it is a nationally recognized entity is a poor strategy – one that fails to look at the root of the problem.

If Taco Bell is finding the labor situation in Florida too demanding, then perhaps it should follow its own advice and make a run for the border. Taco Bell should in no way feel bad about outsourcing some of its production. After all, whenever I eat Taco Bell’s food, it gets outsourced pretty quickly anyway.

ASUCLA is substituting its own politics for the will of the students. Taco Bell serves more than 1,000 customers per day, making it second to only Panda Express in campus eatery popularity. Furthermore, while minor demonstrations have taken place, there have been no truly successful boycotts of the UCLA-located franchise.

Whether you are a disenfranchised tomato picker or a talking Chihuahua, your voice has the right to be heard. What must be examined is the truthfulness behind your message. And the truth here is that the UCLA-run Taco Bell does not deserve to be shut down. If you are still unhappy with the eatery, eat somewhere else. But leave the decision of Taco Bell’s future up to the students who choose to eat there.

Pfohl is a fourth-year history and political science student. E-mail him at jpfohl@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.