Editor,
I understand the contract with Aramark, the sole food-services provider at UNM, is up. Requests for proposals have been issued and UNM has received bids from two companies besides Aramark.
This is great news, because if you listen to dormitory-dwelling undergraduates, the quality of the food Aramark provides is no better than prison food, and there's a reason for this.
A case in point is the food at La Posada. I am told that La Posada food is so bad that many students who live in the dorms and have meal plans for which they have paid do not eat there more often than not.
I know that institutional food is reputed to be bad, and La Posada, hospital and prison food are proof of that axiom. But there's another reason La Posada's food is so below par - it's so students won't eat it. It's a strategy Aramark uses to maximize profits.
A quick Google search using the keywords "Aramark prison food" will show you the formula Aramark uses to increase its bottom line in both prisons and where it has dormitory food contracts.
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It's simple. Make the food quality marginal and less of it will be consumed - even when there is no other source of food, such as in prisons. But since the state pays per prisoner and students pay regardless of whether they eat, food not made and not eaten makes Aramark that much richer.
This in itself is a good enough reason not to renew Aramark's contract.
Another reason is the quality of food throughout the system. I know that it seems there are lots of options, but all those options are low-quality fast food franchises owned by Aramark. That's why the hamburger you eat at Sonic tastes just like the hamburger you eat at Higher Grounds.
But good luck trying to eat vegan or even healthy. Those options aren't available at any price.
I say let's not renew Aramark's contract. It's time UNM food services go to a more ethical, better-quality food provider.
Danny Hernandez
UNM student
