We are a group of concerned paraprofessional staff and students at the University of Toronto who are advocating for affordable, healthy, and sustainable food at Chestnut and New College. The transition towards a declining balance model with the current pricing does not support the stated Food Services mandate to provide “affordable, nutritious, and sustainable” food choices. The new model of food delivery will lead to severe and detrimental impacts for both students and staff, particularly in the areas of student equity, health outcomes, and sustainability.

As a direct consequence of the new pricing model, residents cannot afford to eat three full meals per day. If the yearly standard meal plan costs are amortized throughout the year, students need to spend less than $9 per meal, inclusive of drinks and snacks. Currently most entrees average $14 without drinks or dessert. These numbers do not equate with a viable option for students to eat nutritiously or consistently throughout the school year. We have already started observing the impacts of food insecurity on our racialized and socioeconomically marginalized students, both of whom already face serious challenges and barriers as they navigate the university experience. These changes have been made at a time of particular financial strain for many of our students; job losses and economic precarity has resulted from pandemic-related economic upheaval and threatened the financial security of our student and staff populations. 

The decision to transition from an all-you-care-to-eat model to a declining balance model where items are unaffordable and where food is weighed poses a number of risks to the health and well being of our students. For those with eating disorders, the act of weighing food will promote detrimental eating habits, unhealthy and restrictive tendencies, and a focus on reducing portion sizes in unhealthy ways. From our observations and conversations, students who are unable to afford the cost of purchasing additional residence dollars have opted to eat some of the less nutritious options which have been brought into the dining hall, including instant noodles, chips, chocolate bars, or instant Kraft Dinner. As a result of financial pressures, our students have had to skip meals altogether. It appears that these pricing changes are profit-driven and are being implemented under the guise of COVID-19 safety regulations. The decision to prioritize profit by treating our dining halls as retail locations continues to alienate students from their home, deeply impacting our community-building efforts. As students are forced to seek affordable and nutritious alternatives elsewhere, the burden on our community and the risk of COVID-19 transmission in our residences increases - a particularly imminent threat given the certainty of increased infections and a second wave.

Finally, many of the decisions taken to increase profits have negatively impacted the environmental sustainability of dining hall operations. For example, the decision to privatize water, a public good, by removing public access to water stations in dining halls pressure students into purchasing bottled water, thereby significantly increasing single-use plastic consumption. The continued presence of bottled water stations throughout the university indicates that this decision was made to maximize profits, not to protect students from COVID-19 related exposure. The proliferation of disposable food packaging has dramatically increased the amount of waste produced, with much of it going directly into landfills. In a similar vein, the removal of composting services has reduced diversion rates and increased the overall amount of waste produced. If left unaddressed, these changes will continue to create a much larger ecological footprint in the dining hall and directly contravene U of T’s mandate to prioritize sustainability across the institution.

Without significant alterations, this model will continue to negatively impact the very populations which the U of T purports to prioritize. We strongly denounce the corporatization and privatization efforts inherent with these changes, and the detrimental impacts these changes will have on our most vulnerable populations. As these changes have been implemented with no consultation or due process that we are aware of, and we hope that this letter can begin a broader conversation around ways to ensure food security for residence populations while also allowing financial viability of dining hall operations throughout these challenging times. 

In response to the following concerns, we believe that immediate changes are necessary to ensure our students do not continue to face food insecurity this year. In order to begin these conversations, we would like to suggest several actionable changes which could be immediately implemented across these dining halls. We request an immediate reduction in prices to ensure that students can eat and drink three consistent and nutritious meals per day. As part of this change, we are requesting the following amendments:

-elimination of the pay-per-weight model and introduction of set portion sizes and fixed prices as per the noodle station currently in operation
-a significant reduction of overall prices across both dining halls to ensure food security,
-the reintroduction of a fresh salad bar which allows for flexibility, variety, and affordability,
-the option to include salads as part of the ‘combo’ options for entrees, sandwiches, and pizza
-the provision of public filtered water access similar to prior years, and consistent with water fountains offered in other public spaces throughout the university
-a more intentional pricing scheme which encourages students to prioritize nutritious meals with a high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains 

Concurrently, a much larger dialogue and collaborative process with student populations at Chestnut and New College is needed to ensure a positive outcome for current and future student populations at the University of Toronto. As part of a broader dialogue, we request:

-an outline regarding the process and implementation of these changes
-the initiation of a review and audit which outlines the potential environmental, social, financial, and health outcomes of the new declining balance platform
-a more fulsome and collaborative engagement process with current students, food policy experts, kitchen staff and nutritionists to ensure future changes will lead to positive student outcomes

In signing this petition, we want to ensure our collective voices are heard in order to work collectively and effectively towards providing affordable, nutritious, and sustainable food options for U of T students.