The cost of food on Ohio University’s campus has risen significantly in the past year amid inflation and maintaining food quality.
OU provides students with food options such as dining halls, food trucks and markets; however, the prices of food from some campus dining locations are higher than average for the typical college student.
A smoothie from Boyd Dining Hall’s Smooth Moves is currently $8, raised from its previous price of $6.75 in Spring 2024.
The $1.25 increase in smoothie prices can be credited to the increase in the prices of ingredients and the quality of those ingredients, according to Chito Trinidad, assistant director of retail operations.
“We’d rather focus on keeping that quality but having to charge more for it,” Trinidad said.
Although inflation has run rampant in the last few years, Frank Pazzanese, executive director of culinary services, said the increase in food prices across campus cannot be attributed to COVID-19.
“I don’t think we should blame anything on COVID anymore,” Pazzanese said.
Pazzanese said OU raises the price of certain food items once a year at the beginning of every fall semester.
“We only raise our prices once a year at the beginning of the semester, and before we do that, we actually do a very robust survey,” Pazzanese said.
The survey includes all the grocery and convenience stores in town and finds the medium of those food prices. Pazzanese said OU tries to stay below that medium.
Trinidad said the market prices are more similar to those of convenience stores than those of actual grocery stores, as the markets offer a lot of packaged food at steep prices.
“Jefferson Marketplace is built like a grocery store, but it buys like a convenience store,” Trinidad said. “We can only give the pricing that we’re able to based on our purchasing.”
Many variables affect the pricing of food on campus; for instance, if oil prices increase, the cost of plastic increases and so do the market food prices.
“At Jefferson Market, Nelson, and Boyd markets, some of the things that people don’t realize, a lot of our goods are packaged there,” Pazzanese said.
Pazzanese also noted that all goods on campus are delivered by truck, so when fuel prices go up, OU may be charged a $300 fuel charge on any delivery.
Mikayla Kunkel, a food pro-coordinator at Boyd Market, said the high food prices could strain many students.
“Students should not have to worry about what they’re able to eat on a day-to-day basis,” Kunkel said. “It’s a heavier stressor than it used to be.”
Kunkel has noticed patterns since working at Boyd Market when it comes to students purchasing food, such as students saving up their meal swipes.
“Saturday is the day that everybody comes to spend their meal swipes,” Kunkel said. “You’ll be getting students coming in and using all 14 or however many meal swipes they get in a week on that day, and they’ll buy not the most nutritional food.”
Many students have begun to notice the increased prices and have experienced what Trinidad called sticker shock, which is when buyers are surprised or disappointed after learning a products costs more than expected, after a significant price increase.
Josh Cable, a junior studying psychology and a transfer student from Columbus State Community College, has taken note of the expensive food options compared to his previous college.
“I know that there are just increases in food pricing just everywhere, but I see it on campus,” Cable said. “It’s a lot more expensive than, let's say, Walmart, for example.”
While many students pay more for food, the money ultimately goes back to the students, according to Pazzanese. The university uses budgeted money from student consumers to return to a scholarship fund.
“One of the things I’m really proud of is this year alone, I’ve budgeted to put $7.3 million back into the university and scholarship funds,” Pazzanese said. “Other companies that would be a profit, that’s not a profit for us. That is something that we give right back to the university in a specific package.”
Trinidad emphasized the culinary team is committed to providing a great food experience for students without compromising quality.
