Opening of the Halal Shack on campus means better food for all

Photo courtesy of Geneseo Website

The recent opening of the Halal Shack, located in Brodie Hall, supplies students with healthy alternatives.

Researchers at Frontiers in Nutrition found that in addition to having limited healthy food options and not meeting recommended fruit and vegetable intakes on college campuses, college students are increasingly eating at more fast food places. While it might seem that there is a limited healthy diet in college, SUNY Geneseo, along with over 35 other college campuses across the country, hopes to prove otherwise. 

With its first location opening in 2017 at the State University of New York at Albany, The Halal Shack has been committed to delivering high-quality food, combining authentic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean tastes with American halal food for healthier and more appetizing meals. 

Along with ensuring that their ingredients are locally sourced, the company’s ever-expanding menu follows strict standards for those within the Islamic faith. 

This comes at a great time since the Halal Shacks opening at SUNY Geneseo on Feb. 18 falls into the timeline of Ramadan, which will be occurring from Feb 28 to March. 29. 

Known as the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan entails a fasting of all food and drink from dawn to dusk in observance of those who might be less fortunate and to be grateful for what those who practice the Islamic religion have. 

According to eatright.org, the food that would need to be eaten at night should be high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, to keep the body satisfied until the next night.

The Halal Shack offers just that, with many items offering legumes, whole grains, avocado, and more, so that participating students can pick up healthy and sustaining food for later, keeping their bodies both full and with various nutrients for the next day.

The founder of Halal Shack, Jamal Rasoully, has stated that the company’s work operates on a location-by-location basis, as the formula for how each location can be run is being improved upon every step. Rasoully’s outlook on the company’s success and the priority of its workers shines brightly based on his own core values.

“Silver linings have been innovations, improvements, internal developments, and a serious look at what more can we do to make the world a better place. Social responsibility was one of the reasons I started the Halal Shack; the impact a brand can have is tremendous. We are even more focused and are developing more programs to help support our core beliefs of diversity, inclusion and social justice,” Rasoully said in a statement during an interview with the FoodService Director website.

Helping the community is not something Jamal’s company takes lightly. Eating locally grown and humanely treated produce is shown to benefit consumers greatly. From providing more nutrients than regularly harvested food, such as higher doses of vitamin C and antioxidants, to benefiting the environment because of lower amounts of packaging and waste involved, it can allow further climate-friendly greenspaces to grow and thrive. 

So, if you want to experience healthy living while supporting a business committed to improving the world, then the Halal Shack is the place for you! Since its opening, the Halal Shack has been located in Brodie Hall, and its availability is Monday through Friday, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.