What is the real cost of tofu?

Where are the food services at the U of M getting their tofu — the moon? This may help explain why we are being charged so much for it.

The goal of a capitalist system is to make the general public drool over a product that is out of their price range and then drop the price for a grand profit rush of purchasing. This may help explain how it is that a product like tofu costs U of M students $2.99 for less than 200 grams on a salad of dandelion-leaf-like material? Heck, if there wasn’t exhaust and weed-kill all over the dandelions outside we could go out and pick our own salads.

Taking a cold, hard look at the selection of food for students on campus, there is a high mark-up of costs. Food is not a privilege! A society only works if all the citizens, no matter how they came into the world, have food shelter and clothing.

There is a dire responsibility for us students to show that we are capable of delivering an equitable society. It is, after all, why most of us are here. We are here to pass exams and attain degrees, noting that we are capable of pulling evolution forward in a globally sustaining manner.

Why is it that students — who are part of the population that is in the lowest income bracket — are paying $8.10 for a salad of weeds, three toppings and approximately 200 grams of tofu?

I suppose not every student can afford to take the first two course levels offered by every faculty and every department within the faculties to be able to learn how to abolish this bread and circus offering of affordable healthy food. I then ask this: Has not one economic nutrition legal attorney graduated from U of M who can help us out? I find it absolutely mind boggling to realize that for an absolute necessity students are not getting the absolute best quality nutrients at the absolute bottom line pricing.

Perhaps we should review Aramark’s contract and ask the engineering faculty to work with the economic department and the human ecology faculty to devise a way for the students to take governance of our bodies and create an efficient and nutrient rich way to serve the best possible meals for the best possible price.
I, for one, would not mind a dim sum cart moving around, giving the students four dim sum dumplings for $2. This is a nice lunch, and a profitable business for many restaurants.

Students are busy. Why should it cost a working student more money to eat than pay rent? If the students in residence have deemed it more suitable to have meals provided then there must be something to the concept.

I am standing up for students’ right to a nutritious, affordable food delivery system; will you join me?