7,000 weigh in on food at Concordia
It’s a fact: Concordians care about what they eat. An impressive 7,000 students, faculty and staff members provided their thoughts on food in response to the university’s online survey last fall.
This consultation was a key part of the process in determining the new Food Services contract, which will be awarded in 2015. It allows Food Services to tailor the request for purchase to the community’s preferences.
The survey results — gathered, tabulated and analyzed by a third-party consulting firm that specializes in food-service industry research — will help shape the criteria selected for inclusion in the public tender issued this fall.
Here is a quick recap of the results:
- The two food attributes that are most important to Concordians are product quality, including taste and freshness, and competitive pricing in comparison with off-campus locations.
- Italian food tops the charts on both the Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses — it won a 41 and 47 per cent approval rating, respectively. It was followed by Mexican and Asian (Thai/Vietnamese and Chinese).
- The majority of the Concordians surveyed wanted food options that are low in fat, while slightly less than half indicated that low sodium and low sugar options are also important to them.
- Respondents said their favourite foods to snack on are fruits and berries, salads, sandwiches and vegetables.
Get more key findings in this summary or read the full results.
Last autumn, members of the university community were also invited to attend two open discussions sessions at the Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses.
“This open platform was an opportunity for Concordians to share their feedback on the future of Food Services, and to learn about the food contract selection process,” says Sabrina Lavoie, executive director of Business Planning and Budget Development. The feedback will also contribute to the development of the upcoming public tender.
Share your thoughts about Food Services at Concordia by writing to food.services@concordia.ca.