Frequently asked questions

Shred the Contract (STC for short) is a campaign run by WWU students which aims to end our school’s relationship with the dining services provider Aramark and instead adopt a self-operated dining system. WWU has until 2023 to decide whether to continue contracting with Aramark for years to come or to end the contract and transition to a better system. Our campaign demands WWU's administration to not renew our contract with Aramark nor take on a new contract, and to instead start the process of creating a self-operated dining system. Aramark’s practices do not align with WWU’s values, and a self operated system will allow us to have more transparency and student power in the food system.

A self-operated dining system is a system that is run entirely by the university just like any other department on campus, rather than paying a third party such as Aramark to do this work. Self-operated systems can save money in the long run and allow for far more transparency around the food being served on campus. While most colleges and universities in the U.S. contract their dining out, about 30% are self-operated, including the University of Washington and Washington State University. You can read about a few examples of self-operated colleges and universities here.(undefined)

While it is important to note that self-op is not a silver bullet to address all our food issues on campus, it would be a huge step in the right direction. Being self-operated would allow us to have more transparency in our food sourcing and more student input on what kind of food is served. Breaking from Aramark would mean breaking from the kickback system,(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdPb3FVd5E&t=11s) which is a significant barrier to our ability to have more sustainable and healthy food in the dining halls. It would also mean we would stop doing businesses with a company that profits off of prisons.(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/prison-strike-protest-aramark) Additionally, self-operated dining would allow chefs to have more freedom and autonomy to practice their craft, as currently they must cook the recipes which Aramark provides.

PRISONS In addition to serving foods at colleges and universities, Aramark works in over 500 prisons and jails around the country,(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/prison-strike-protest-aramark) including the Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham. The prison system in the United States incarcerates People of Color, queer folks, disabled folks, poor people, and survivors of domestic violence at disproportionate rates. Through their food service contracts with jails and prisons, Aramark makes millions of dollars off of these violent institutions. Part of WWU’s Mission is a commitment to protecting the “well-being of communities,” and continuing to give our school’s money and support to a corporation which profits off of prisons goes against that value. LABOR RIGHTS Aramark management at WWU has a pattern of mistreating student workers and pushing back against unionizing efforts. When dining service workers moved to form a union in 2013, workers received a threatening letter from Aramark management discouraging them from doing so (read excerpts of that letter here)(http://komonews.com/archive/despite-managements-warnings-aramark-employees-at-wwu-seek-to-form-union). Currently, STC is gathering testimony (javascript:void(0))from folks who have experienced unjust working conditions while working for Aramark at WWU. TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY Aramark is one of the three largest food service providers in the U.S. - Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark serve food in over half of colleges and universities. Each of these corporations relies on a system called kickbacks,(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdPb3FVd5E) which are essentially bribes between food service providers and big food corporations. Food corporations (for example, Tyson) make deals with food service providers (Aramark) to give huge discounts on their food. In exchange, food service providers promise to keep buying from that company. Because of the kickback system, food service providers prioritize buying from big food corporations. This means that students end being served cheap, unhealthy, and unsustainable food in dining halls. Aramark also has almost total control over all catering operations on campus - which means that when students want to get catering from local businesses or prepare food themselves for on-campus events, it is extremely difficult to do so. For example, when folks with Justice Speaks tried to get catering from a local woman-of-color-owned restaurant, they were told they could not do so (https://www.facebook.com/TOCBack/posts/216317718954028)because they needed to utilize Aramark’s catering services instead. Thus, Aramark’s presence on our campus poses a direct threat to community food sovereignty - the ability of a community to feed itself with food that is nourishing, sustainable, and culturally appropriate.

According to our administration, there are only three dining management companies that are large enough to handle the food system at Western: Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark. Each of these corporations uses the kickback system (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdPb3FVd5E)and each have bad track records of labor exploitation and lack of transparency. WWU actually used to have its dining system contracted with Sodexo for 50 years but switched to Aramark. Additionally, STC works in solidarity with the national Campaign for Real Meals,(https://www.realmealscampaign.org/) which asks Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark to shift their practices to increase sustainable and equitable food at all colleges, invest in farmers of color, and reduce purchases of factory farmed animal products. Until these food service providers meet the demands (https://www.realmealscampaign.org/our-demands/)of the Campaign for Real Meals, we will not consider contracting with any of them.

It doesn’t have to! Many schools have successfully shifted to self-operated dining without raising food prices for students. Affordability and food access is a priority in this campaign. While history shows us that the WWU administration often does not prioritize financial backing for student needs, we know that the money is there for this and other student issues should the administration choose to practice the values they preach.(https://president.wwu.edu/mission-statement-and-strategic-plan) Under Aramark, students are paying about $12 per meal. This is far from affordable, and we believe that a self-op model could lead to lower overall dining costs for students.

The prison system in the United States is a white supremacist institution that disproportionately targets people of color. Though the U.S. has only 5% of the world’s population, it currently holds 25% of the world’s prisoners. Within that, folks of color are heavily targeted.(https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/18-examples-of-racism-in-criminal-legal-system_us_57f26bf0e4b095bd896a1476) Additionally, slavery still exists in prisons,(https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/09/slavery-prison-system-170901082522072.html) where inmates are forced to work in various jobs (including as farmworkers). Aramark has exploited those incarcerated in this system by serving unsafe and unhealthy food. There have been multiple reports (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/prison-strike-protest-aramark)in different prisons serviced by Aramark of maggots or rocks being found in the food they serve. In several prisons, riots have broken out over Aramark's small portion sizes which leads to serious health issues. Aramark also speaks openly on their website about “Behavioral Management Tools”(https://www.aramark.com/industries/business-government/correctional-facilities/food-services) they have developed which essentially denies those who “misbehave” access to better food. Additionally, many prisoners who work in prison kitchens that Aramark services have filed complaints of sexual violence against Aramark management. We believe that ALL people have a right to healthy, nourishing food. We also believe that incarceration is a False Solution that serves to further oppress communities of color. As Aramark makes millions of dollars off of their contracts with prisons, they continue to profit off of the exploitation of marginalized people.

The Real Food Challenge is a commitment that WWU signed in 2016 to increase the amount of local, fair, humane, and sustainable food served in the dining halls to at least 25% by the year 2020. However, after 2020 we aim to continue increasing the amount of Real Food served in the dining halls regardless of who our food service provider is. RFC is a student-led commitment that was made by WWU’s administration. Its direction and philosophy still stands, regardless of who our food service provider is.

Most schools that shift to self operated prioritize re-hiring all workers and offering managers their positions back as well; this is the approach we will take. Adopting a self-operated dining system can be a transition, and it does not need to happen all at once; we will prioritize workers’ rights and union preservation in this process.