Besser wär besser   [19.12.19]

More sandwiches in the afternoon, less packaging, no plastic spoons, salad cheaper than meat dishes: In the "Besser wär besser" series, you choose suggestions for improvement in the Online Courier. The editorial staff checks with the responsible contact persons. Today the Studierendenwerk answers your suggestions for the Cafeteria and Mensa.

 

 

Proposal 1: "More sandwiches on offer in the afternoon"

"Officially, the cafeteria is open from 7:30 to 5:00. But if you want something other than coffee, you have to be there by 12 noon at the latest to have a chance at all. On the one hand this is of course good, as no excess food is thrown away, on the other hand I was often confronted with the problem that I wanted to buy a sandwich for lunch and then stood in front of the display case and there were only two rolls left.

My suggestion is therefore to refill the cases if necessary and above all to offer more vegetarian products, as the demand for these products seems to be much higher than for ham or salami toppings (of which there are usually still some left). It is difficult or often even impossible to get lunch in the morning just because you are worried you won't get anything later.

I also miss the "product of the month," there were always great new products available, many of which have since disappeared from the selection."

"Naturally, we aim to have sandwiches on offer as long as possible. On the other hand, as mentioned in the proposal, we do not want to have to throw away any remaining rolls.

The proposal was submitted during the lecture-free period. In fact, this is the time when bottlenecks can occur most frequently because demand varies particularly sharply from day to day. During the lecture period, however, we cannot confirm that the cases are empty at noon. However, it may happen that not all varieties are in stock at noon.

The obvious solution would actually be to make the sandwiches fresh as needed. At other university locations for which we are responsible as a student union, we already practice this, for example in Tübingen. Unfortunately, however, this is not possible in Hohenheim for logistical reasons. We simply do not have room in the cafeteria for making the sandwiches and storing the ingredients. Therefore we make a majority of the sandwiches (approx. 75%) fresh in the morning between 6 and 9 o'clock in the Mensa kitchen, and the remaining sandwiches are purchased already made. The space in the Mensa is then used to prepare the lunch/salad buffet etc., so that we can no longer produce more. We have purchased the appropriate equipment to regularly bake pretzels and croissants, so that we can fill them up fresh as needed.

It is important to know that the Mensa building was originally designed for 3,000 to 5,000 students. However, there are now almost 10,000 students enrolled in Hohenheim. The Mensa extension has created additional seats in the dining halls. As far as the kitchen, food counter, and even the cafeteria are concerned, however, we still have the same space problems as before.

We have therefore been campaigning for a long time for the renovation or expansion of these areas and the state has acknowledged the need in principle. However, a lot of building projects are pending on the campus and the university building authority has not yet announced a timetable for implementation.

From our experience, we cannot confirm the perception that vegetarian sandwiches in particular are sold out. This also seems to be very different from day to day. Just as often, for example, salami rolls are asked for at the checkout. However, we will take the suggestion as an opportunity to observe this more closely.

As far as the "product of the month" is concerned: during the lecture-free period, we temporarily remove it from the assortment because demand is too low. During the lecture period, however, we still have it on offer and would like to keep making students aware of new snacks."

 

Proposal 2: "Unwrapped sandwiches"

"In addition to the drinks in the cafeteria, you can buy all kinds of sandwiches, baguettes, and wraps. But every single product is packed in plastic. Is there a possibility that the sandwiches can be sold without a plastic bag? #campusgoesgreen

Solution: You could reduce the supply, but offer fresh sandwiches instead. You could cooperate with a local baker who prepares the sandwiches."

The topic of "waste avoidance" is generally a major concern for us at all our sites, which we are pursuing with high priority. For example, we do a great deal to avoid kitchen waste. We are also looking for options to save or eliminate disposable coffee cups. We are currently working intensively on a solution with a returnable cup deposit system.

In this respect, the plastic packaging of the rolls is of course a problem for us. At some other university locations for which we are responsible, we have already been able to restrict this type of packaging considerably.

However, we still have not found an alternative solution for the Hohenheim cafeteria. The reason for this is the logistical problems described above. This is because we are not allowed to stack unpacked rolls. On the one hand because they fall apart easily, on the other hand because it represents a hygienic risk if guests have to touch several rolls in order to be able to take out the one they want. As an institution that provides mass catering, we are subject to very strict hygiene guidelines and the Wirtschaftskontrolldienst (WKD) responsible for Hohenheim stipulates that we are only allowed to offer most goods completely packaged.

Due to the high demand, which is also reflected in the article above, we do not want to reduce our supply. However, since we have neither space for additional refrigerated display cases nor sufficient storage space for a large number of unpacked sandwiches, we are forced to continue to use the packaged version - until the building is renovated.

From our point of view, paper bags are unfortunately not an alternative. The contents must be visible at first glance, both for students who choose the sandwich and for the cashiers. At the same time, the ecological advantages of paper in a direct comparison do not seem to be quite as clear as often assumed. Provided, of course, that the plastic is disposed of properly and does not end up in the environment.

Proposal 3: "Do without plastic spoons"

"Today I received a plastic spoon with my rice pudding in the cafeteria. Its useful life was relatively short and limited to the enjoyment of the product.

In times when the avoidance of plastic is discussed, simple optimization potential could be created here. A part of the small spoons which lie above the other silverware in the Mensa, could be brought to the Cafeteria and then back to the kitchen with the cups. The environment would be happy..."

"Our plastic spoons are made of compostable bioplastic. However, even this material is not optimal from an ecological point of view. We will therefore do without it in the future and switch to wooden spoons. At the moment we are only using up our remaining stock.

Anyone who wants to completely do without a disposable spoon can request a metal spoon at the cash register.

We have already tried in the past to deposit metal spoons openly in the cafeteria as suggested. The effect: Several spoons were taken along or even thoughtlessly disposed of with the plastic cups. Of course this is a big problem for us. The latter also makes the ecological idea absurd. We have therefore refrained from doing so again.

The Studierendenwerk closely observes the developments in the field of environmentally friendly/sustainable packaging in order to make practical innovations usable for us. For example, we use "Spoonie", an edible ice cream spoon from the student start-up company Spoontainable at the University of Hohenheim, for serving our Frozen Yogurt in a cafeteria in Tübingen."

Proposal 4: Offer salad cheaper than meat dishes

"Hello everyone, in our Mensa salad is weighed and is therefore often up to twice as expensive as a ready-made meat dish. With regard to the environment, nutrition, and costs of purchasing, this fact is rationally incomprehensible to me.

In addition, the salad bar is recyclable, whereas a meat dish is often not.  I would therefore like to see a kilogram of meat in our Mensa be more expensive than a kilogram of salad. This can be achieved through a controlled redistribution of prices."

"In general, the cost of producing a dish is around seven euros. In addition to the material costs, personnel and energy costs are particularly significant. For example, when the selling price of the menus is 3.10 euros, the Mensa meal is always sold at a loss to students. This is deliberate because we have a clear legal mandate: To provide students with an inexpensive main meal every day. The shortfall is covered in particular by the state subsidies and student union fees according to the solidarity principle.

Since eating habits have changed considerably in recent decades and above all have become more diverse, we have successively added offers such as the salad buffet, the wok bar, "mensaVital" and the action bar with schnitzels and burgers etc. to our range of meals. These offers are very well received by the students and employees. However, here we often work with a higher cost of goods than with the daily menus, which is why we offer these dishes at prices that are quite normal for the market.

The impression that salad is particularly cheap to buy and prepare is deceptive, as we always have to keep the ingredients fresh and many components, such as noodle and couscous salad, are complex to prepare. We can buy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers etc. a little cheaper in the summer months when they are in season here in Germany. Due to the lecture-free period, however, demand is lowest during that time. Finally, it is important to know that food that has left the kitchen and was on display cannot be reused for hygienic reasons.

In general, we do not consider it our task to control eating habits using prices. We do not want to patronize anyone, but rather create more individual choices for a conscious and sustainable diet through new products such as "mensaVital"."

Research: Leonhardmair / Translation: Neudorfer