The York Federation of Students is hoping to resolve students’ food concerns by seeing the implementation of more recommendations from their Task Force on Campus Food campaign.
Recommendations that will be implemented this summer include standard signage for students looking for vegetarian, vegan, and halal foods.
“The signage initiative involves developing a clear set of standards defining what constitutes vegetarian, vegan, halal, local, etc. to provide community members with confidence in knowing what they are purchasing and eating on campus,” says Anthony Barbisan, director of YU-card, food services and parking services at York.
“Campus eateries that adhere to the standards will be able to display consistent signage advertising the availability of these options, making it easier for community members to find the food types they are looking for. We are in the process of developing the standards and aim to implement them during the summer.”
In addition, the university will establish a campus food oversight committee, which will be responsible for monitoring the progress of implementing these recommendations. The committee will be made up of students, staff, faculty associations, and other York community members.
The recommendations are based on the results of a survey of 3,000 students, who were asked about quality, affordability, dietary needs, and variety of food on campus.
Thus far, York has only implemented some of the Task Force’s recommendations, like introducing a farmer’s market on the Keele campus, extending hours in some restaurants, and eliminating the debit surcharges at certain locations.
Gayle McFadden, vp campaigns and advocacy for the YFS, is one of the people in charge of the recommendations; she says the results so far have been a victory.
“The implementation of the Task Force on Campus Food [recommendations] has significantly impacted York students,” says McFadden, “whether it is having the opportunity to access to food and beverages late into the night or having student input on decision-making bodies that influence the price, sourcing, quality and variety of food options on campus.
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
