With the end of our current food service contract on June 30 according to Vice President of Administrative Services, Brian Fahnestock, uncertainty looms over students as the college will have to decide to continue or steer in a different direction with the future of food on campus.
While this may seem like a two-way street by which the needs of students are met but with a wide array of food options in retrospect, the vendor’s system is the best suitable.
Streamlining the process from consumer to producer equalizes the prices for students with lower-income to prompt for a healthy yet accessible dietary treatment on campus.
El Camino’s new addition, the Atomic Cafe mobile truck is a step in the right direction, although upon review is shorthanded with coffee drinkers as their target clientele, the pressure for more inclusive food options seems imminent.
As mobile trucks rise in popularity among locals, the regulatory hurdles can be challenging but with neighboring colleges like Santa Monica College can be a model for inspiration.
Blatant rejection of any outside businesses may discourage student engagement. Some food options are profitable while still offering affordable food options.
Health conscious meals are not the answer to end all be all but rather a start by using a survey with the right implications as a building block to draw plausible conclusions.
For many students, diversity is a notion that includes an array of multicultural food which encompasses our ability to be liberal and tolerant to cater different backgrounds. By implementing vegetarian cuisine options, the students might be prone to practice a healthier lifestyle and prove higher student success.
While food trucks like Kogi BBQ and The Grilled Cheese Truck in LA have a large following, EC can contract independent local business like these for sure-fire buyership and with the rise of social media students are in-tune with foods that appease to their taste.
In turn, we hope to see more inclusive food options on campus that improves student success.
