France extends €1 student meals to all after survey on food insecurity

The Story

The French government has extended €1 meals to all university students after a survey showed nearly half were skipping meals due to cost. The meals, previously only available to scholarship students, are served at university restaurants including at Université Paris Dauphine. The government has allocated €120m to fund the program next year.

Key Facts

• The French government extended €1 meals to all higher education students this month.
• A survey showed almost half of the student population were skipping meals because they could not afford to eat.
• Previously, €1 meals were means-tested and limited to students with scholarships.
• At Université Paris Dauphine, students can get a three-course meal for €1, with extra dishes at 55 cents and coffee at 60 cents.
• Chef Farid Rouba said most dishes are produced in-house and made up of a healthy balance of locally sourced products, many of which are organic.
• Students gave the menus a 9/10 rating.
• Director Diane Chelkoff said students can have two balanced €1 meals per day, either eat-in or take-away.
• The Dauphine restaurant seats 2,400 students in three sittings during term.
• From 2020 until this month, only low-income or scholarship students were eligible for €1 meals; others paid €3.30.
• Student unions campaigned for universal €1 meals after the survey.
• Bénédicte Durand, president of the National Centre for University and School Services (CNOUS), said the measure addresses social and public health issues.
• CNOUS runs 950 restaurants and cafeterias.
• The government set aside €120m (£104m) to fund the program next year.
• CNOUS is seeking 200 extra staff and more equipment to handle increased demand.
• Some students, including Antoine Lebrun and Jérémy Reyes, criticized the universal subsidy, suggesting the money could be better spent on cheaper accommodation.

Conflicting Reports

The article reports that some students expressed disagreement with the universal €1 meal policy, arguing the subsidy could be better allocated to other areas such as student housing.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Farid Rouba, chef at Université Paris Dauphine.
• Diane Chelkoff, director of the Dauphine restaurant.
• Théo Pupunat, Jérémy Reyes, Antoine Lebrun, Maxence Lapras, students at Dauphine.
• Yuqi Yang, student from China studying at Dauphine.
• Maxime Daniel, Mehdi A’ït Naceur, Julie Bénard, students at the Sorbonne.
• Laura Hobson Faure, history professor at the Sorbonne.
• Bénédicte Durand, president of the National Centre for University and School Services (CNOUS).

Sources: The Guardian