Between tuition expenses, transportation fares, school requirements, and daily allowances, students constantly make decisions about where their money goes. Among these competing expenses, food is a necessity that cannot be postponed. Yet, for many university students, eating well often becomes a balancing act between what their bodies need and what their pockets can afford.

At Isabela State University-Cauayan Campus (ISU-CC), the campus food court offers a practical answer to this everyday concern. With meals available for as low as ₱55, students can enjoy rice, vegetables, and a main dish without spending a substantial portion of their daily allowance. Through accessible meal prices and a variety of food selections, the campus food court helps make healthier eating a more attainable part of university life.

For students who live in boarding houses or apartments, preparing every meal can mean additional expenses for ingredients, cooking fuel, and preparation time. Having affordable meals within the campus provides an alternative, allowing them to spend less time preparing food and more time attending to their academic responsibilities. A reasonably priced meal becomes particularly valuable for those who must stretch their allowances across an entire school day.

The food court’s offerings also challenge the notion that eating healthily requires expensive ingredients. Vegetable-based dishes, including chopsuey and pinakbet, provide options for incorporating vegetables into ordinary meals. Their availability allows students and employees to consider nutritional value alongside price when deciding what to eat.

However, keeping meals affordable is not always an easy undertaking for food vendors. Fluctuating prices of vegetables, meat, cooking supplies, and other ingredients can affect both their operating expenses and the prices they charge customers. Despite these challenges, vendors continue to consider affordability and food quality in preparing their daily offerings.

For the university community, the value of these food choices extends beyond the immediate satisfaction of hunger. Affordable and accessible meals can help students avoid skipping meals or relying exclusively on convenient but less balanced alternatives during particularly demanding academic days. They also provide faculty members and university personnel with practical dining options without requiring them to leave the campus.

More importantly, access to healthy food should not depend on a student’s financial capacity. A university environment that makes nutritious meals available at reasonable prices recognizes that physical well-being is closely connected to academic participation and student welfare. Students who have access to adequate nourishment are better positioned to sustain their daily routines and meet the demands of university life.

This concern aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), particularly its emphasis on food security, improved nutrition, and access to sufficient and nutritious food. While addressing hunger requires broader institutional and community efforts, providing affordable and balanced meals within the campus is a meaningful way of advancing this goal in everyday university operations.

Nevertheless, maintaining healthy and affordable food choices requires continuous attention. A wider selection of balanced meals, reasonable pricing, appropriate food handling, and consistent nutritional quality can further strengthen the campus food environment. The responsibility of making healthy food accessible should remain a shared concern among university administrators, food concessionaires, and the campus community.

At ISU-Cauayan, the value of an affordable meal lies in more than the amount printed on its price tag. It is reflected in the student who can eat adequately without exhausting an allowance, the employee who can find a balanced meal during a busy workday, and the vendor who makes nutritious food available despite rising operating costs.

Hence, eating well should never be a luxury reserved for those who can afford it; it should be an accessible part of every student’s university experience.

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Get to know more about Isabela State University–Cauayan Campus by visiting our official website: https://isucauayan.edu.ph/