AROUND one in four students were dissatisfied with the food served at Borders College in the 2013/14 session.

In an annual feedback survey, completed by over 800 mainly full-time learners, 74% of those who responded said they enjoyed the food at the large Galashiels campus which is shared with Heriot-Watt University.

The unhappy remainder felt there was not enough variety, with the same choice on offer every week, at the campus.

“They also felt it was too expensive and there was not enough seating in the Students Union,” states the survey report.

“Students at the Hawick campus commented on the lack of food available and the lack of eating facilities…students from the Newtown campus again commented on the lack of food and the lack of a canteen.

“The [Newtown] students felt the vending machines and a food van was not providing them with healthy food choices.” Responding to the negative feedback in the survey, Borders College states: “We are actively looking at the seating capacity within the union and hope to provide details on a possible extension in the near future. This will provide a significant increase in the number of seats… “In relation to food prices, our catering providers are required to provide details of their costs which are agreed by the college and these are regularly compared to other colleges across Scotland to ensure we are receiving value for money.

“We do acknowledge prices can be more expensive than in the larger retail outlets such as Asda and Tesco.

“However, the food provision is audited twice a year by independent auditors…highlighting our campus as one of the higher achieving catering outlets in Scotland.” Although below the 87% optimum satisfaction target, the 74% of students who said they liked the food represents a considerable improvement in 2012/13 when only 62% said they were satisfied.

Last week, ahead of the students returning after the summer break, Borders College revealed that it has appointed a new food provider for the Galashiels campus.

Baxterstorey of South Gyle, Edinburgh, was one of four bidders for the catering services contract which will be operated on a fixed profit return basis.

The procurement document states: “The key objective for Borders College is to ensure that all customers requiring catering and hospitality on the campus are provided with a quality service, using quality products, delivered in a hygienic manner and delivered by customer-focused operatives.” The contract includes an unspecified number of special functions which must be catered for during the academic year.