{"id":177995,"date":"2025-06-12T09:02:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177995\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T09:02:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:02:14","slug":"i-conducted-a-survey-at-a-south-african-universitys-cafes-the-results-are-scary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177995\/","title":{"rendered":"I conducted a survey at a South African university\u2019s cafes \u2013 the results are scary"},"content":{"rendered":"

University students have limited spending money and their schedules are packed. Many are adapting to new lifestyles on campus. Eating a healthy diet is crucial: a poor diet leads to<\/a> reduced concentration, lower grades and increased stress. <\/p>\n

Campus caf\u00e9s, especially at universities that are some distance from supermarkets, often sell mainly fast food such as white bread sandwiches, hot chips and doughnuts. It\u2019s easy to eat on the go, but places nutritious choices out of reach.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m an urban geographer who researches<\/a> the relationship between food, health and place. My work examines how urban agriculture, informal food systems and everyday urban infrastructures shape well-being, sustainability and spatial justice in African cities.<\/p>\n


\n Read more:
\n Too hungry to go to class: South Africa’s university students need better support<\/a>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

Research has already found that through pricing, menu design and information provision, campus caf\u00e9s play a decisive role<\/a> in shaping dietary behaviours among young adults. I wanted to find out how students at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa choose what to eat when they\u2019re on campus, what they see as healthy food and what stands in the way of them buying nutritious meals.<\/p>\n

The university is one that was underfunded during apartheid. Until 1994 it primarily taught students who were Black and people of Colour. Today, it serves about 23,000 students, many of whom are drawn from low-income backgrounds, and has few supermarkets within walking distance. The campus caf\u00e9s are a key food supply area for students.<\/p>\n

My research found<\/a> that at the University of the Western Cape, only 32% of the food offered at the student caf\u00e9 was healthy. It also cost more than the fast food. The students I surveyed knew healthy food was important. But only a small minority consistently chose nutritious meals. Nearly 40% of the group reported that the healthy options were too expensive.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

UWC students protesting in 2025 about a shortage of accommodation.
\n Sandiso Phaliso\/GroundUp<\/a><\/p>\n

When students face the twin challenges of financial hardship and inadequate access to affordable, nutritious food<\/a>, this deepens inequality. It also undermines their efforts to succeed. Even worse, it can cause students to develop long term, unhealthy eating habits that damage their health.<\/p>\n

Unless affordability, availability and awareness of healthy food choices are addressed together, students will struggle to eat well and to perform at their best.<\/p>\n

Universities must implement targeted food subsidies, introduce clearer nutritional labelling, and expand healthy menu options to make nutritious eating more accessible and appealing to students.<\/p>\n

Students speak out about their food choices<\/p>\n

I conducted a survey that sampled 112 students in five campus caf\u00e9s at the university. These caf\u00e9s are mainly used by students in the 18-24 age group.<\/p>\n

My survey revealed that 75.9% of students considered healthy offerings at least \u201csomewhat important\u201d when choosing where to eat. Yet only 6.3% always selected nutritious options; 28.6% rarely or never did so. Meanwhile, 38.4% of students described nutritious meals as \u201cexpensive\u201d and another 8% found the healthy options \u201cvery expensive\u201d. <\/p>\n

My research also found that University of the Western Cape students ate very little fruit and vegetables. Just 41% of the students I surveyed ate two or more servings a day and 9.8% admitted they ate none. <\/p>\n


\n Read more:
\n Student hunger at South African universities needs more attention<\/a>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

I also did a detailed menu audit at one caf\u00e9 to see what was on the menu. I found that only 32.6% of 46 distinct items met basic \u201chealthy\u201d criteria (they were low in saturated fats and made up of whole-grains or vegetables). <\/p>\n

The majority of students (55.4%) had not noticed any campus healthy-eating campaigns, but agreed (57.1%) that balanced meals boosted academic performance and overall well-being:<\/p>\n

\n

I feel much more focused and energetic when I eat well, which helps me do better in my studies and feel healthier overall.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Only a small handful of the students said they could afford healthy campus caf\u00e9 meals:<\/p>\n

\n

I choose caf\u00e9s based on food quality. If the food is fresh and tasty, I\u2019ll pay more, but it needs to be worth it. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What needs to happen next<\/p>\n

High prices<\/a> for nutritious items, narrow menu selections and barely visible information about nutrition are preventing students from eating healthy foods on campus. <\/p>\n

Campus caf\u00e9 offerings tend to mirror the broader inequities<\/a> of national and global food systems. Food environments of big institutions like universities can prop up food inequality, even if these universities are committed to social justice.<\/p>\n

Universities should adopt these steps to make healthy food available to students:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Subsidised meal plans and discounts: Introducing a tiered subsidy for students from low-income backgrounds would directly reduce costs. For example, meal vouchers could make salads, whole-grain sandwiches and fruit bowls as affordable as a pastry or soft drink.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    A wider range of food on the menu and smaller portions: Partnerships between university caterers and local cooperatives or farmers could expand the range of fresh produce. Smaller portions or \u201clight\u201d meal options could be sold at lower prices to suit tighter budgets. Regularly rotating healthy specials and clearly labelling ingredients and calories would help students become accustomed to choosing healthy meals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Visible nutrition campaigns: Digital and printed standout posters about healthy foods could be placed around campus. Universities could hold social-media challenges and pop-up tasting events. Integrating simple tips into lecture slides or student newsletters would also help by repeatedly exposing students to healthy food tips.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Peer-led workshops and cooking classes: These should be arranged to empower students to take ownership of their diets and learn about budgeting, meal planning and quick, nutritious cooking skills. Peer facilitators can demystify healthy eating and create a supportive healthy eating community.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Seeking feedback: To see if their healthy food campaigns are working, universities should survey students, and analyse sales data from the caf\u00e9s to see what\u2019s being eaten. They should get feedback from students through focus groups that identify emerging needs and ensure that campaigns and projects reflect the realities of students\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    My research suggests that by tackling cost, choice and communication together, universities can transform their caf\u00e9s from sites of compromise into engines of student well-being. Such interventions would unlock academic potential and set young people on healthier life paths. This is an outcome as enriching as any degree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University students have limited spending money and their schedules are packed. Many are adapting to new lifestyles on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177996,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[105,4434,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-177995","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114669587311212791","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}