Students feel companies have a captive audience, says Alastair Woods
Students say they are unhappy with the food options on campus.
At a town hall meeting held by the York Federation of Students on November 7 in Curtis Lecture Halls, students gathered in an open forum setting to discuss ongoing issues of York’s food affordability, accommodation, and health.
YFS will be issuing a report to York administration in January 2013.
“Students are pretty frustrated with the lack of food options in general, but especially late night options,” says Alastair Woods, vp campaigns and advocacy for the YFS.
A number of students complained about the high prices and minimal selection of food on campus. As well, students complained about the fee campus cafeterias charge to use Interac, and raised questions about why chain restaurants are more expensive on campus than off .
“Students feel frustrated because they feel that companies have a captive audience,” says Woods. These companies either “jack up their prices or skimp out on quality because there’s nowhere else to go.”
With the removal of independent eateries like Michelangelo’s in the Centre for Film and Theatre last year and the closure of both Mangia Mangia and Blueberry Hill in York Lanes, Woods says students aren’t getting enough choices for food.
“Sure, we could have one of every food chain on campus, but are they providing affordable, healthy food that meets people’s dietary needs?” he asks.
Woods notes that the Keele campus has a number of restaurants like Wendy’s and Hero Burger, for example, which provide similar types of food.
“If we want to be serious about diversifying food options on campus and actually making food more accessible, more affordable, and healthier, we need to make sure we aren’t just throwing our hands out to every fast food chain out there,” he says.
Healthier, more affordable, and more accessible food options are expected to be the key demands made in a report to be released by the YFS, along with a list of recommendations to York administration.
A survey being conducted by the YFS focuses on food quality, affordability, and variety, as well as how students feel York is meeting their dietary needs, from nut and gluten-free foods to Halal and Kosher options.
The findings from both the survey and the town hall meeting will be incorporated into the YFS’s report, which Joanne Rider of York media says university administration is looking forward to reading.
She says the university is satisfied with how it is dealing with student food needs on campus.
“When you look at the vendors on campus now, a number of independents are represented,” she says.
Rider says the current range of food choices at York is meeting the demands of the community.
“We listen to the members of the community who provide input, and we listen to what the consumer wants in terms of choice, and that’s reflected in the food vendors on campus,” she says.
But what students at the town hall meeting wanted in terms of choice was more of it, says Woods.
Woods encourages looking into independent businesses, smaller cafeterias or student-run options. “At the end of the day,” he says, “All those fast food places serve the same food—just with a different name and logo on it.”
There’s still hope, says Woods, pointing to smaller family-run places like the Orange Snail.
Woods is optimistic about the prospects of negotiation with York admin, but says he’s “not naïve.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I think there are a lot of things we can find common ground on,” he says. “The openness we’ve seen from a lot of administrators on the food survey shows us they’re at least willing to have a discussion.”
Mark Grant, Photo Editor
