ASUCLA officials question need for new grocery store

Several Associated Students UCLA board members questioned the need for creating an on-campus student-run grocery store in a meeting Friday.

The proposed grocery store, called the Student Food Co-op, would aim to provide fresh produce to students at a lower price than off-campus stores such as Trader Joe’s and Ralphs, said undergraduate student government President Heather Rosen. Rosen’s office is working with the members of the Student Food Collective, an initiative that aims to provide students with affordable food, to open the store.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday in favor of Rosen’s proposal to create a grocery store, in an attempt to increase food security for students.

Other UC campuses, such as UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara, have on-campus grocery co-ops that aim to provide food from local providers at a cheaper cost than supermarket chains.

At the ASUCLA services committee meeting, officials said they think Rosen’s staff should conduct more statistical research about who would use the grocery store before they decide to allocate space for it.

Aditi Agrawal, Rosen’s chief of staff, said she and Rosen are looking for an area, about 120 or 180 square feet, that would include a food distribution area, a lounge and a center that would provide food security and nutrition resources. She added that the area in Ackerman Union outside the Global Viewpoint Lounge that used to house Tsunami would be an ideal location.

ASUCLA Executive Director Robert Williams said Tsunami’s previous location has already been dedicated to another project. Williams added it may be better to focus funds on providing financial aid to underprivileged students, rather than starting a grocery store.

Rosen said 13 percent of undergraduate students in the U.S. are food insecure, but could not provide statistics on how many UCLA students are affected because of a lack of current sources. She added she hopes volunteers at the research center that’ll be in the supermarket can survey customers and gather information about exactly how many students are food insecure.

ASUCLA Graduate Representative Patrick Adler added he would like to see more data that ensures enough students will use the grocery store for it to be a sustainable venture.

Rosen said the new grocery store would not compete with any current ASUCLA restaurants and stores because it would offer different products. She added that E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity, a student group that runs the weekly farmer’s market in Bruin Plaza, has endorsed the store.

If the store opens, USAC will pay $3,000 stipends to two students who will run the co-op, said Regina Napolitano, a project director with the Student Food Collective.

Rosen said she thinks the store can help UCLA become a leader in increasing food security by providing cheaper food options, so students do not have to choose between purchasing food and purchasing textbooks.