Is anyone else sick of Wendys?

Published October 8, 2010

by iris_author

The more I speak to other students at York about the lack of sustainable food on campus, the more confused I become. I continually hear pleas for more sustainable food- fair trade, local, organic or even just some options that have more than one natural ingredient. So, why aren't there more student run initiatives that provide what students have identified they want?

Well, part of the reasons is that York is a complex place; there are four different organizations on campus that handle food services. First of all, there is the student center, which is technically owned by students. This space, as I am sure you all have noticed, is filled with franchises that provide largely processed, unsustainable food. Part of the reason for this is because when those franchises became a part of our student space they were locked into incredibly long contracts so that we cannot replace them until we are done suffering through the legalities that were decided upon many years ago. The second food services operation is York Lanes which is owned by the York University Development Corporation and is actually a separate entity of the University. Schulich caters all of its own food services, but this is directly a part of York University's operations. Lastly, there is York Food Services which is currently being run by Aramark. These are the cafeterias that are run in common spaces like the TEL building, Stong College,  Central Square as well as other locations.

To be fair, there are a couple of great student run initiatives left on campus including The Absinthe Pub in Winters which is student run and now selling fair trade coffee (thank you winters!), as well as the Grad Lounge.  If you are looking for more information about food services at York, you should check out the Food Report that IRIS published in 2009- it has all of this information and more about campus food services.

As convoluted and depressing as this seems... do not despair! There is hope. There are people at York who are working to integrate sustainable foods onto campus. They are working for more fair trade, more organic foods, a stronger local presence, and for a space where students  can feel proud  purchasing food from their peers--- by running these spaces as student initiatives.

On October 29th, 2010 in the Founder's Assembly Hall these people will be gathering to educate, discuss and organize to make this happen at the Sustainable Purchasing Policies Conference. On the same day, there will also be a Fair Trade Fair in Central Square, Vari Hall, the Ross Link, and the Bear Pit. There will be Fair Trade vendors selling everything from chocolate to jewelery.

I, for one, am officially sick of Wendys. I sincerely hope to see you on October 29th.

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