As students settle down to face winter’s living expenses ahead of the new semester, food and drink prices available on campus continue to soar. With the new SU Pantry located just feet away from the cafeteria, many students are now opting to ‘starve’ over pay, how does the campus justify their prices?
Falmouth Campus, home to Fox Cafe, appears to be ‘burning holes in pockets’ as students label prices ‘inappropriate’ when compared to alternatives being offered by retailers and supermarkets on the high street.
Fox Cafe, Woodlane campus in Falmouth
Out of 1000 students aged 16 to 24, 80% felt that the current cost of living was too high to live comfortably, and certain restrictions and measures had to be used.
The average maintenance loan for students has seen a noticeable jump in the six years leading up to the 2021/22 academic year, with the current interest rate on loans being at its all time high of 7.3%.
Student debt is estimated to reach 500 billion before 2050, based on current statistics.
The cost of a sandwich on the Falmouth Campus spans anywhere between £3 and £4.75, with an average of £4.25. Wraps and hot sandwich alternatives see prices hit above £6.
Prices for sandwiches are divided into bands, running in an alphabetical order. Bands A and B offer students a more ‘budget friendly’ offer, while bands E and F offer a more ‘gourmet’ meal choice.
The cafe offers a meal deal which includes a sandwich, cold drink and packet of crisps for a price point of upwards of £5 depending on what alphabetical bracket the sandwich is from. This offer has a much more limiting selection for a higher price point than high street retailer Tesco, who offer a broader product range for a cheaper price point. The average meal deal from Tesco costs £3.60 with a club card and £4 without.
‘Sandwiches are nearly a fiver now’, said BA Photography student Belle Johnson. She continued, ‘no sandwich should ever be that expensive, even if they had real human meat in them!’
Fox Cafe students, Woodlane campus, Falmouth
It isn’t just the food that seems to be distressing students, as the cafe offers a range of hot beverages. A medium latte with dairy milk sits at a generic price of £3.70, with the cafe’s pledge to sustainability offering a 20p discount for those that bring their own mugs and coffee cups. The cafe offers a loyalty card for hot beverages and select iced coffees to encourage revisits.
With Cafe Nero now offering students discounted drinks at a rate of 20%, the same order sits at £2.92, seeing an almost 80p difference in price comparison.
It is not just Woodlane campus students that are seeing unfavourable prices hit the shelves. FXPlus, the parent of Fox Cafe, also manage various cafeterias and eateries established on Penryn Campus.
‘The cold food is a rip off. (I) spent nearly £7 on a wrap and coffee in Koofi, the only sandwich left was an expensive one.’ said BA Photography student Daisy Tearle.
‘I think they get away with charging so much because there’s no other shops nearby. It’s (almost like) convenience tax.’
‘If there was cheaper option in a walkable distance from (Penryn Campus), I would go there.’
Jadelle Luckman, the current SU president for Falmouth, is advocating for more transparency from FXPlus for where their costs come from.
The prices created by the company do not generate profit as many are first led to believe. The money goes back around and is invested into paying for the FXPlus staff. The money provides solid wages and covers the many services that the staff provide around the campuses.
‘The point we’re trying to make now is, (FXPlus) need to get this out to students. If prices aren’t going to change, informing the people using the service will create a better understanding.’ said the president.