Let’s Talk Aramark

Aramark is a multinational corporation which has branched out into fields of education, business, leisure etc. that deals with the provision of food, facilities, and uniform services. At Lakehead University, Aramark food services oversee the main cafeteria, where students can have a quick meal between their classes, and the residence cafeteria, where students enrolled in the meal plan have their meals. As of late, numerous complaints have cropped up regarding both the quality of food and the hiked-up prices. 

This is not the first time Aramark has been in hot water and seeing as how things are progressing, it certainly is not the last. Earlier this year, there was a public outcry at Florida State University after Student workers at the on-campus Starbucks raised the curtain on the dismal working conditions under Aramark. The corporation was heavily criticised for its profits over people policy after failing to fulfil a promise to raise the minimum wage from $10 to $15. 

In a more recent incident at FSU, Aramark allegedly withheld pay raises from newly promoted supervisors for several months. 

The situation at Lakehead is not much better, even after numerous student complaints and an article expressing the displeasure of students, Aramark refuses to step up. In an incident at the Residence Cafeteria, Aramark employees interchanged plaques for the food they served which led a Muslim student to consume meat that is not halal (permitted). 

Moreover, the employees are often not aware of the ingredients in the food they serve. An anonymous student who has an anaphylactic allergy to all nuts commented about the poor accommodation offered to those with allergies: “the only accommodation I get is a sign saying all the food in the cafeteria might be cross-contaminated. I’ve been taking the risk and eating what I know should be safe for me to eat, but the risk of cross-contamination is always there and literally puts my life at risk just to eat the required meal plan”. 

At the Main Cafeteria, the primary concern is the marked-up prices for food items that could easily be purchased at a cheaper price elsewhere. The Main Cafeteria at Lakehead offers students the option to purchase prepackaged salads, a wide variety of snacks, drinks and meals from the fast food outlets located within it. Although the meals are priced appropriate to the portion served, almost everything else is allocated a price higher than the market price. For instance, a can of Peace tea costs a student $3.50 at the main cafeteria whereas it could be found at a convenience store for just $0.99. Moreover, a small container of fruit is approximately $5.00  and comes with only a limited selection of fruits. This is another blatant display of Aramark’s profit-over-people policy. 

The big proclamation “Lakehead Dining Services is committed to providing a variety of healthy, unique options across campus” means nothing if the corporation behind it is not sensitive to the needs of its customers, ensuring the welfare of the employees and keeping itself out of controversy. Once again, our students deserve better, Aramark must do better.