Campus food providers under pressure from students to revamp menus

The University of Toronto's downtown campus will cut ties with its food service provider, Aramark, later this summer and start running most of its on-campus dining options itself, the latest school to satisfy what appears to be a growing appetite for fresh meals.


The move will centralize most of the St. George campus food operations and see a main kitchen provide fresh food to some retail outlets that don't have kitchens and rely heavily on packaged food, said Anne Macdonald, the university's director of ancillary services.

Chefs, for example, will cook soups and sauces from scratch instead of ordering from a production facility, Macdonald said.

Such changes were called for by students, faculty and staff in focus groups leading up to the decision not to renew Aramark's contract, she said.

"This is the voice of the students," said chef Joshna Maharaj, who consults with universities and colleges on menu changes.

"They are increasingly dissatisfied — as they should be — with really highly processed foods and a campus food service that is sort of an irritating afterthought."

ketch ate all this junk