Campus food prices might still increase

When grocery prices increase, campus food prices are no exception.

And with food prices expected to rise as much as 6 percent just this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, students are paying significantly more for food on campus than they were last year. More increases could still be coming midyear.
The smallest meal plan last year cost $2,504, while the smallest this year cost $2,800.

Director of Residential Programs and Services Dining Services Sandra Fowler said RPS has tried to anticipate the coming inflation by already increasing both the price of meal plans and the price of food served in RPS dining establishments.

“Many items we didn’t raise at all,” she said, “Some items we had to raise 3 to 5 percent.”

Fowler said RPS tries to account for any inflation by raising prices in August each year, before the school year begins.

Ancil Drake, RPS executive chef, said one of the main reasons prices are going up is the fuel charges that RPS’s vendors require RPS to pay. With increased fuel costs, grocery prices must also increase.

Because of increased oil prices, the cost of petroleum-based plastic packaging that much food comes wrapped in also rose.

Drake also said all the commodity groups of food have gone up – such as meat, cheese and flour – in large part because of the flooding of much of the Midwest that occurred this summer.

“With all the flooding, you see an increase in produce prices,” he said.

However, because RPS is unsure whether more price increases are on the way, prices could increase further midyear, although Fowler said RPS hopes it doesn’t have to do that.

“Throughout the year, our prices may increase,” she said, although she said she was not sure yet by how much.

Students were divided on how they would respond if they had to start stretching their meal points further.

“I think I’d eat less because I couldn’t afford to eat as much,” said freshman Sean Counceller.

Freshman Sahar Pastel-Daneshgar said she thought the increases would barely affect her because she bought the smallest meal plan possible and hardly eats anyway.

“I’ve gotten to one meal a day, living off free food and cereals,” she said. “So if the price rose, I would probably still get the same meal plan, which is the smallest one.”

Jeff Ubelhor, also a freshman, said if prices rose he would probably maintain his same eating habits for a while because he is happy with the quality of food and prices RPS provides and would deal with changes when they come.

“It’s not something I want to happen, but if it’s something they have to do, I understand,” he said.