Care for animals in some way? Vegan or vegetarian? Looking to stand up for a cause? Or just think vegan food rocks? If yes to any of these, who knows - this just might be the club (and/or website) for you...
Veg Food Campaign
Our goal is to increase, diversify, and correctly label veg* food in the UCLA dining halls and ASUCLA on-campus eateries. Providing vegetarian menu items not only appeals to vegetarian students - it also helps those looking for healthy, dairy-free, and easy kosher options.
Students have a right to healthy vegetarian/vegan food options in order to satisfy the nutritional, allergenic, and ethical concerns of all students. We insist that sufficient healthy vegetarian/vegan food items be made readily available to all students at all meal times in UCLA’s dining facilities and at ASUCLA campus eateries. These food items should also be labeled appropriately.
From our own experiences and from anecdotes, BFA knows that the veg* food situation in the UCLA dining halls and on-campus eateries is not ideal.
Well, for ethical, religious, environmental, and health reasons of course!
Facts from EarthSave International:
One acre of prime land can produce many pounds of edible product. Here are a few examples: One acre = 30,000 pounds of apples, 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, or 250 pounds of beef.
Livestock production is contributing to the emission of two of the four global warming gases: carbon dioxide and methane. Every steak we eat has the same effect as a 25-mile drive in a typical American car.
Each year, an estimated 125,000 square miles of rainforest are permanently destroyerd, bringing the extinction of approximately 1,000 plant and animal species.
Eighty percent of the meat produced in the U.S. contains drugs that are passed on to you when you eat it.
Seventy-five percent of federal poultry inspectors say they would not eat chicken.
Truths about this campaign:
Veg* food is not more difficult to prepare than non-veg* food. BFA has and is still willing to provide UCLA dining services with easy, delicious, and healthy veg* recipes.
Veg* food is not necessarily more expensive to prepare than non-veg* food. BFA has and is still willing to provide UCLA dining services with cheap veg* options, as well as information on affordable food providers.
Veg* food tends to be healthier for consumers than non-veg* food. BFA has and is still willing to provide UCLA dining services with dietary information about veg* food so that dining hall food can gain nutrients without sacrificing taste.
Veg* food options are not solely consumed by veg* people, and thus an increase in veg* food options will not monetarily damage UCLA dining services. Contrary to some belief, veg* food can be, and often is, consumed by non-veg* people. In fact, BFA believes that many students would be more inclined to eat veg* food if it were more readily available. Potential UCLA students have, in the past, contacted BFA specifically to get information on veg* food options in the dining halls, or to ask for suggestions on how to eat veg* in the dining halls. Others have expressed interest in being veg* but have failed to do so because of the limited veg* options available in the dining halls.
For non-veg* people:
The campaign should not be a cause for concern for non-veg* people because we are not proposing that non-veg* options be decreased. Instead, we are asking for UCLA to serve healthy veg* options alongside the other dishes, in consideration of those who refrain from eating meat or other animal products based on ethical, religious, allergies, or health reasons.
