Statement: University carries out competitive bidding on student meals at the cost of food quality

The Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY) is extremely disappointed with the university’s decision to carry out competitive bidding on student meals based solely on low cost. OYY, along with the Oulu University of Applied Sciences student union OSAKO, sent a letter to the leadership of both institutions expressing their severe concerns about the future quality of student meals at our campuses. However, there were no responses to the letter, and low cost remains the sole criterion for selecting catering providers. Cost being the only criterion in the competition will lower the quality of student meals and therefore deteriorate the well-being of students.

For many students, a student meal is the only warm meal of the day that meets the required nutrition guidelines. A versatile diet helps students manage daily life and studies, and a hearty meal creates a sense of community as students meet over lunch. In addition to this, students don’t have the option to choose where they have lunch. Rigorous study schedules do not permit students to have lunch at home, and they don’t have the facilities for refrigerating or reheating their food on campus.

“Students aren’t asking for much, just that the meals they are offered are filling and nutritious.”

The negative consequences of choosing catering providers based solely on low cost have been evident in other universities across the country. Students are constantly offered cheap meals, such as various soups or porridge. “Students aren’t asking for much, just that the meals they are offered are filling and nutritious. The cost bidding will reflect heavily on the quality of produce and the versatility of meal options,” states Anton Kostiainen, the Chair of the Board at OYY.

Responsibility and sustainability have been defined as core values in the strategies of both universities. These are important values to students as well, and yet sustainability nor domesticity of produce have been used as criteria in the bidding competition. 

We demand that the university leadership return to the preparation stage of the bidding competition. The competition should include food quality, domesticity and sustainability as its core criteria,  rather than focusing solely on the cost.