Expensive prices and insufficient hours were some of the key concerns that came to the forefront at WUSA’s recent roundtable on food on campus.

The roundtable, hosted in the SLC, gave students the opportunity to state concerns directly to WUSA directors. Several students pointed out the lacking affordability of food on campus, and how this affected them in a variety of ways.

Alessandra Quijano, a third-year student, said she would opt to eat at the plaza over food on campus because without a meal plan, “it doesn’t make sense for me to spend money here on campus if I can get the same price but better quality at plaza.”

Another student, who asked to be anonymous, pointed out that a plate of fruit they had got in residence with a few slices of melon came to $8, and that the quality of food made them feel worse for it. “I feel guilty about it cause it’s so heavy,” they said. “It’s like I’m getting McDonalds everyday, it doesn’t feel as nutritional or healthy as if I were to have a home-cooked meal.”

A price analysis conducted by Imprint earlier this year demonstrated that UW food prices have increased in average of 31.34 per cent over the last five years, more than the industry average of 17.25 per cent. According to Lee Elkas, director of UW Food Services, the post-COVID period saw inflation increases that were double the annual standard for the food service industry.

WUSA has launched several programs like a food support service, which provides hampers of food, and Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) program, to address food insecurity among students. Remi Chort, a third-year student who runs an account (@goosey_food_reviews) reviewing the PWYC meals, said that though he appreciated the PWYC program, he would like to see more cultural diversity in the dishes.

Many students also commented on the lack of plant-based or gluten-free options. Another frequent complaint was that of inconsistent hours, as closing times for different food spots on campus can change depending on the term or when in the term it is. These issues were at times exacerbated by options feeling centralized in SLC, making students based primarily out of the environment or arts clusters feel like their options were lacking.

Another uncertainty raised by students was how to communicate their feedback to Food Services. Ryan Jacobs, senior director of commercial operations at Food Services, was present at the roundtable and said that Food Services is looking into new avenues for student feedback, including a customer research plan they have begun building for 2026.

According to Jacobs, Food Services will be conducting a review of the meal plan program in partnership with Campus Housing, which will collect student feedback through a combination of methods. He said concerns he heard regarding the meal plans revolved around more diverse food and whether students could provide input on themed or cultural food nights.

“I think there’s an opportunity for us to try to organize all that data that’s coming at us and maybe in some new ways so that we can act on it and then communicate back,” Jacobs said. He added that in conversations with WUSA directors, there seemed to be “a real openness” for WUSA and Food Services to exchange information regarding Food Services and student feedback avenues.

With files from Veronica Reiner and Eduardo Matzumiya.