Create Halal and Kosher Food Options at The University of Texas at Austin

According to a 2010 article written in the Daily Texan, the UT Austin campus newspaper, "There are no kosher restaurants within walking distance of campus and the only grocery store that sells kosher meat in Austin is the HEB in Far West. Texas Hillel offers kosher Shabbat dinners on Fridays, but most kosher-observant Jewish students have to stay vegetarian the rest of the week, especially if they live on campus."

Similar to the Kosher food preparation practiced by Jewish individuals, Muslims are recommended by the Quran, their holy book, to eat Zabiha Halal meat that is prepared in a manner emphasizing cleanliness. Halal meat is widely available in major cities where Muslim families reside and is delivered to South Asian supermarkets from slaughter houses across Texas and the United States. Unfortunately, when Muslim students leave home to attain a college education, access to halal food can be limited as very few Texas universities serve halal meat in their cafeterias and dorms. This poses a major dietary restriction on Muslims students who have enough on their plate to worry about. According to a survey conducted by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, 77% of Muslim students from 135 major universities across the United States have no access to halal food. Not accustomed to a strict vegetarian or pescetarian diet, students are forced into unhealthy eating practices. These unhealthy practices can result in a diet devoid of essential nutrients and benefits provided by a moderate amount of meat.

Currently, Texas A&M is the only university in Texas to provide students with a partial Halal menu at a price that is consistent with that provided to other students at SBISA dining hall. The University of Texas at Austin, which as of Sept. 19, 2012, had the second largest enrollment in University history at 52,213 students, fails to provide its substantial Muslim populatiom with a halal option. On the behalf of the Muslim student population at the University of Texas at Austin, we are petitioning the University to look into providing a halal option to students and devise a plan that eases the burden on Muslim students.  This can be accomplished through working with Texas A&M Dining Services to understand and implement a cost-effective yet convenient method to provide students with halal food on some sort of basis.