State University of New York

Student Food Services

Student food services at State University of New York (SUNY) campuses cost more than $100 million annually. We examined the economy and efficiency of these services. We found that the costs could be significantly reduced without compromising the quality of the services if certain changes were made in purchasing practices. For example, commodities could be purchased at lower prices if campuses cooperated and consolidated their purchasing efforts. Commodities could also be purchased at lower prices if they were purchased off State contracts. We compared the prices paid for four food items and determined that, over the period of one year, State contract prices were 18 percent lower than the prices paid by SUNY campuses. Since most campus food services are provided by contractors, State law would have to be changed to allow the contractors access to State purchase contracts. We recommend that SUNY officials initiate this change.

For a complete copy of 95-S-6 click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.