Carolina Food Co. introduces Fresh Lane
New student grocery aims to bring healthy options for on-campus cooking
Posted on: January 29, 2021; Updated on: January 29, 2021
By Jason Dermack, stucomm@mailbox.sc.edu
The temptation to indulge in junk food can be very easy in a college environment. With vending machines and chain restaurants around every corner, it can be challenging to avoid. On top of that, students are busy. They’ve got a lot to deal with from an academic and social perspective.
To help time-pressed students get fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy ingredients for at-home cooking, Carolina Food Co. has added Fresh Lane — a small grocery store located in Russell House.
Fresh Lane offers an assortment of healthy options, including prepared foods as well as fresh produce for your own recipes.
“Our hope is that Fresh Lane makes it easier for students to enjoy cooking and preparing meals for themselves on campus,” says Faren Alston, spokeswoman for Carolina Food. “We received feedback that students would appreciate a market on campus, so we asked on Instagram what types of products would interest guests. The number of responses made it clear that students really did want a market on campus to buy their own produce with their meal plans.”
If you have a meal swipe, you can pick up to five fresh fruits and vegetables in the produce section. Or you can get a sandwich or salad and combine it with your choice of fruit or chips and a fountain drink. Fresh Lane also offers fresh-pressed juices.
“Eventually, we envision having a well-rounded express market stocked with local produce and matching recipes provided by our dietitian,” Alston says. “We would also like Fresh Lane to be an avenue to advertise local farms/purveyors.”
Much of the store’s stock comes from local vendors and the fresh fruits and vegetables will come from local farmers as available.
Fresh Lane is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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