New Farmer’s Fridge food option
USD’s newest vending machine is an experiment in healthy eating
SPENCER BISHAM / ASST. NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA
Toreros now have access to an entirely new dining option on campus: Farmer’s Fridge. Located in Bosley Cafe, this machine is responsible for vending fresh ready-to-eat meals to students who are willing to pay the price. The meals inside include pre-packaged salads, yogurt bowls, sandwiches, cold cuts, and more.
On the company’s website, details about how their meals are packaged/prepared is displayed under the FAQs page.
“All of our items are made fresh by hand in our Chicago kitchen,” it reads. “We use local and organic ingredients whenever possible, but our focus during sourcing is to find the best quality products available from partners we know and trust.”
Another important point is the shelf life of the items inside the machine.
“On average, items last four to five days in the fridge,” the FAQs page reads. “Keep in mind that we don’t use preservatives on our items, so you can expect them to last about as long as regular produce does. Items with cooked veggies (like many of our bowls) can stay fresh for five days or more.”
The company also claims it does its best to be sustainable.
“We strive to work with partners who share our commitment to the best taste possible and who believe in treating their employees and the environment as ethically as possible,” the page reads. “Of course, impeccable food safety standards are a must, as well as the capability to meet our demand for volume.”
According to USD Dining Services Director, Charles Ramos the decision to incorporate the machine was a two-way street.
“This is a pilot program with the company,” Ramos said. “They came to us a few weeks ago and we thought it would be a good fit so we brought it in for the remainder of this semester to provide students with a 24/7 healthy food option on campus.”
In an email, Ramos went on to outline the specifics of the machine in Bosley.
“This is our pilot location since so many students live in the Valley and it’s at the bottom of the fitness center,” Ramos said. “If you’re purchasing at the Farmer’s Fridge, a debit/credit card is required. If you’re purchasing via the Farmer’s Fridge app, Apple Pay or Google Pay is required. Farmer’s Fridge is currently working on USD Campus Card integration; more updates to come in the upcoming weeks.”
USD first-year and Bosley Cafe employee Tatiana Glisovich explained how the employees of Bosley Cafe were alerted about the addition of the new vending machine.
“It’s a funny story actually, we all just saw this machine inside one day and we asked our manager, Luis, ‘What is that?’ and he said, ‘It’s a salad robot,’” Glisovich said. “It got all of us thinking it was gonna be one of those make-your-own-salad type of things, but instead it’s an effort to get students to eat healthier since Bosley does pretty much only sell fried food. This is just to offer more healthy options, more vegan options for those who fit that category.”
Glisovich also expressed that the benefits of Farmer’s Fridge could help revitalize the attitude toward food at USD.
“In recent times, we’re getting less and less fried food orders and more smoothies, salads, acai bowls- we ran out of acai bowls a few times,” Glisovich said. “I feel like it will be successful just because I think everybody’s so tired of eating the same things every day. I feel like there’s not really much change that happens food-wise on campus so getting something new like this is really exciting for students.”
Some Toreros, however, are not as hopeful about the impacts of Farmer’s Fridge.
Alex Gonzalez, a junior USD transfer student, is skeptical of the benefits of the new machine.
“I don’t even trust it now; it’s too scary,” Gonzalez said. “I think first we have to see how well it’s maintained. So I feel like down the line probably in a year or so, seeing how it’s held up, we’ll see if it provides a healthy option. Because if we find out that it’s not regularly maintenanced, then obviously it’s not going to provide a healthy option with old, past [expired] food.”
As of now, the machine in the Valley is the only one on campus. Bosley Cafe currently offers a range of fried foods in addition to smoothies, acai bowls, salads, and sides. It is unclear if the availability of these items will be affected by Farmer’s Fridge.
Dining Services shared that there will be updates on the new Farmer’s Fridge machine in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the experimental machine is available for healthy eating options on campus.