For many years, Loyola University Chicago has maintained ties with Aramark, the supplier of our dining services, despite its unethical practices. As a community, we will no longer remain silent while our institution supports this company. The time to drop Aramark has come.

Aramark is a main partner of CoreCivic, formerly known as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), and is one of the largest privately-funded prison systems in our nation. It is an incredible disappointment to know that Loyola University Chicago has entangled itself in the deeply problematic—deeply racist—prison-industrial complex. Aside from its mere involvement, Aramark has been exposed for gross misconduct and mismanagement of prison kitchen services on countless occasions. 

Aramark has been cited for frequently delivering spoiled food due to their poor storage practices, and inmates have fallen sick after finding fly larvae and maggots in their meals. Reports show that Aramark has fed prisoners dog food, worms, and scraps from old meals. Since initial outcry, Aramark has been continuously criticized for meal portions and low food quality at correctional facilities, resulting in inmate riots. In 2015, Michigan ended correctional facility contracts with Aramark a year early for this very reason, but across the US, Aramark continues to supply prisons irrespective of inmate protests and riots.

Internationally, Aramark manages direct provision centers, the controversial housing system used for asylum seekers in the Republic of Ireland. These centers, run by Aramark, have been repeatedly criticized for poor hygiene, food, and living conditions. Asylum seekers have even compared their housing to prisons, which—given the information I have provided about prisons contracting with Aramark—speaks for itself.

Along with its heinous behavior in prisons, Aramark’s past failings within the Loyola community are apparent. As you might recall, Aramark put on a display of stereotypical Black food options—including fried chicken and Kool-Aid—during Black History Month in 2018. This display was insensitive and inappropriate, and not once was the Black community given the opportunity to voice their opinion before this action was taken. This action occurred across many other campuses and the following year, New York University ended their relationship with Aramark, despite contracting with the company for 43 years. I implore you: if they could do it, why can’t we?

Aramark's food suppliers are also responsible for environmental degradation detrimental to climate change, and in direct contradiction with Loyola's focus on sustainability. The plantations they source from are directly contributing to the Amazon's destruction, threats posed by industrial animal production, and water depletion and contamination. Workers on the plantations are treated inhumanely—on par with Aramark's treatment of prisoners and refugees—and often receive minimal wages and harmful working environments with deleterious effects on their health.

Our own dining hall staff faces similar conditions. Subjected to racial discrimination, life-threatening safety violations, and abusive working conditions, Aramark employees are forced to be in a harmful environment no human should have to work in. Workers around the nation have repeatedly reported verbal abuse and mistreatment by Aramark management, but as a result only see an occasional court settlement, and no long-term change. Paid minimum wage with no health care and minimal benefits, if any, Aramark is undeniably abusing its employees without consequences. Loyola is complicit in Aramark’s abuse by allowing it to happen.

Beyond this, Aramark’s food quality in our dining halls has been so abysmal that it is beyond description. From being undercooked to containing bugs, our dining services have become a constant source of disgust and mockery among the student body.

No human being should be subjected to these conditions. By continuing to work with Aramark Corporation, Loyola has shown disregard for civil rights and justice—the very pillars of this Jesuit institution. Not only does this company support the private prison system, in which people of color suffer the most, but it has shown apathy for the health and well-being of those that it serves. To finally reflect the ideals of this school, we must end LUC's contract with Aramark, and transition to locally sourced self-operated dining. This would support the Chicago community, protect BIPOC farmers, provide students with healthy and fresh produce, and finally put morality before money, among dozens of other benefits.

Our contract with Aramark does not reflect the ideals of this school. It is time for Loyola University Chicago’s relationship with Aramark Corporation to end.