Food for thought: eating habits at Warwick revealed

Freshers may soon fall into the routine of buying food and drink on campus three to five times a week, according to a recent Boar survey.

Student spending on food and drink rises after first year, the survey also revealed.

Last year, the average spending on food and drink was £10 to £15, with 30 per cent falling into this category.

Slightly fewer students – 27.5 percent – spent £5 to £10. Ten percent admitted to spending more than £30 a week, with the same proportion of students spending £20-£25.

Three people surveyed said they spent £0 to £5 per week.

Derin Odueyungbo, a first-year History undergraduate, said that he plans to spend less than the average Warwick student this year.

“[Budgeting] is a bit of a worry for me and I don’t really want to spend on campus outlets as I imagine they will be pricey.

“However, I don’t yet know if my weekly shop will mean I can’t have a cheeky trip to the café after lectures all the time.”

Out of 40 people, 37.5 percent revealed that they frequent the food and drink outlets on campus three to five times a week and 35 percent admitted to purchasing refreshments twice a week.

Six people said they purchased food and drink once a week. Four people said they spend money on campus every day and just one stated that they never indulge.

Law student Emma Monteith said she fell into the second most popular category. “I eat on campus two to three times a week; there’s quite a lot of choice.

“If I was more organised I would prepare food before I got to campus, though.”

Out of 28 students who were third-year, fourth-year or post-grad, 75 percent stated that they spent more money on food and drink on campus in their second year, than their first.

Third-year Philosophy Politics and Economics undergraduate Patrick Mackenzie agreed with the findings.

He said: “In second year I was lazy and never made food in terms one and two and it was massively expensive especially for the quality of food.

“I spent way too much on campus. In first year I definitely spent less.”

Third-year Philosophy student Josh Chin agreed: “In first year, I could easily go and make a quick lunch in my halls.

“The circumstances of living away from campus means making my own lunch more difficult. I usually buy lunch and a coffee every day so it adds up more than £30 a week.”

However, the findings also indicate that Warwick students are not enamoured with the range of food outlets on offer.

37.5 percent of people asked said the choice on campus was “satisfactory” with 30 per cent rating it as “good”, and just two point five percent thought the range of food on campus was “very good”.