Binghamton University’s contract with Sodexo has long been a point of concern for students and employees regarding food quality and working conditions. Now, after more than 40 years of Sodexo service, the University has finally ousted Sodexo and signed a contract with a new provider, Chartwells Higher Education.
Among students, the loudest complaints about Sodexo have often centered around food quality, affordability and a lack of options. For instance, many students point out that healthier options, like the salad bar and premium fruits, are far more expensive than fried or processed foods.
Additionally, concerns about food safety continue to rise in the face of health code violations at all four campus dining halls, including improper food temperature control, insects and rodents.
Finally, although the Student Association has pushed to expand halal and kosher options, these diets are often not available in every dining hall and operate on limited hours.
Another major issue with Sodexo is its treatment of employees. In December 2024, the United Professional and Service Employees Union began efforts to organize student food service employees at the University. However, last spring, the local chapter of UPSEU revealed that its employees were reprimanded for discussing union membership at work.
On a larger scale, Sodexo has faced controversies since 2009. Most concerningly, Sodexo’s prison operation subsidiary, Sodexo Justice Services, has faced numerous investigations around inhumane treatment of prisoners, including illegal strip searches and even confining a female prisoner in the United Kingdom to isolation for over five years. Additionally, in 2013, horse DNA was found in Sodexo’s UK beef products.
This is not the kind of exploitative company we want our University to support or employ.
Recently, the University’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America has made a large effort to bring student dining complaints to the attention of the campus and our administration. This fall, YDSA organized a rally highlighting student complaints, ending with delivering a petition signed by over 2,000 people to the assistant director of auxiliary services, Mike Majewski.
Amid student advocacy for a change in dining services, we believe the decision to end the University’s contract with Sodexo is a step in the right direction and an opportunity for positive change.
Chartwells Higher Education services 350 U.S. campuses, including all California State Universities, the University of Chicago and the University of Florida, with a focus on community, sustainability and a customized approach to dining. In a news release from the University, priorities that shaped the University’s decision on Chartwell’s included common student concerns like more flexible meal plans, expanded cultural and dietary options, healthier late night options and improved sustainability.
However, Chartwells is not without its own controversies. Before ending the relationship in 2019, Chartwells partnered with a drug rehabilitation organization, Cenikor, to provide unfree contract labor in Louisiana State University’s cafeterias. Additionally, Chartwells’s parent company, Compass Group, was sued in 2016 for overcharging school lunch in New York City schools and faced its own horse meat scandal in 2013.
Although we are cautious about Chartwell’s past, we hope to see student concerns addressed and innovative approaches to dining implemented with this new partnership.
One of the largest concerns about the University’s dining system is its cost. The cost of food under the current pay-per-item system is unsustainable for many students and a meal swipe-based system, like those implemented at many other universities, is long overdue at BU. With the switch to Chartwells, we hope this change will finally be instituted.
As previously mentioned, there is currently limited access to cultural or alternative diets. With Chartwells’s commitment to a customized meal system, we believe accommodating all student diets, especially expanding vegetarian, halal and kosher options and availability and emphasizing safe handling of allergens, would better serve BU’s diverse student population.
We also hope that the University commits to offering a more diverse, nutritious menu so students feel excited about the food they have access to and can properly fuel their bodies.
Furthermore, at the University of Florida, Chartwells has partnered with local businesses and farmers to establish Florida Fresh Dining, which reinvests in the local community and makes fresh food accessible to students. A similar approach would be valuable at the University, where local farms are plentiful but often lack attention from the University or its students. This would not only provide students with healthier, fresher food options but also strengthen the relationship between the local economy and the University.
Although the University did not directly mention unions in its news report, it emphasized that student engagement and accountability were priorities. We believe supporting the work of food service employees and their unions is integral to the University’s role in creating an enjoyable work environment.
For many students, losing the comfort of home-cooked meals is one of the most difficult parts of coming to college. When the dining halls serve overpriced, unappetizing food, it becomes more difficult for students to properly take care of themselves.
With the switch to Chartwells, we hope the University will prioritize student needs and health by implementing a meal swipe system, expanding halal and kosher options and supporting unionization among dining hall employees.
Students are overwhelmed enough by classes, jobs and extracurriculars. They don’t need the extra stress of having to worry about the quality or price of the food available to them.
The staff editorial solely represents the majority view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings.