Small portions, meals not always varied or sandwiches with little filling. Supporting photos, students accuse their university restaurants, managed by the Crous (cbetween regional university and school works), to have the increasingly light ladle.
And especially in Rennes where we went with a discreet camera. On this day, there are three dishes to choose from, two of which are vegetarian. No fish and only one possible fruit for dessert: an orange. A cook recognizes that the quantities served are, according to him, less abundant.
It’s much less now. There is no more meat like before, no more fish like before. It’s more like before… before there were several choices for starters, now it’s only one choice. it is less, everything is weighed. It’s not terrible what was better before.
A cook at Crous de Rennesat the eye of 8 p.m.
Students say they have seen the change in their plates after the Covid-19 epidemic and since the start of inflation.
Thaïs Danel, elected from the Union Pirate student union to the board of directors of Crous Bretagne, shows the piece of pie in her Crous tray: “In previous years, we had another half. Now if we put the two together, it’s the portion we had before.”
At Crous de Rennes, an employee who wishes to remain anonymous tells us that instructions have been given to reduce the portions:
“The director [du Crous de Rennes] indirectly confirmed the reduction in portions, or more exactly it puts pressure on Restau’U colleagues who would have the “ladle too heavy”.
Contacted, the director of the Crous simply says he respects collective catering standards: “The Crous respects a regulatory grammage, corresponding to the caloric expenditure of a young adult. Staff are asked to respect these grammages when serving students.”
However, the Director recognizes a limited choice, but only to speed up the service: “we can see in this new school year that by reducing the time of hesitation at the time of choice, more students can be served during the very limited time of the lunch service.”
How to explain this change in the plates? The Crous operate with their own budget revenue and also receive public subsidies.
According to a report from the Senate last November, the Crous network suffered significant losses of nearly 150 million euros due to the Covid-19 epidemic. All the operating losses have, we can read, not been fully compensated by the State.
On some campuses, university restaurants have even closed. This is the case in Grenoble or even in Mantes-la-Jolie, to the west of Paris with its campus of 600 students. The university cafeteria has been replaced by a private sandwich shop. No hot meal, no social tariff and no one-euro meal for scholarship students.
Rates that are sometimes five times more expensive than at Resto’U, and the impression of not being satisfied.
It stalls for 3 hours then after we are still hungry
Noah Butz, student at the IUT of Mantes-la-Jolieat the eye of 8 p.m.
“How can a student stay focused or even succeed in their studies if they don’t have enough to eat?” wonders Mohamadou Sow But, another student from Mantes-la-Jolie.
Contacted, the national Crous network says it is seeking a solution in consultation with the university.
For its part, the Ministry of Higher Education affirms that the budgetary envelope of the CROUS will be increased in 2023 by 32 million euros, in particular to cope with soaring prices.
Opinion of the Senate of November 18, 2021
Report of the Court of Auditors on State support for student life
Report of the National Assembly on the financing of Crous
Minutes of the board meetings of the Crous de Renne
Non-exhaustive list
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