US EditionFrance Introduces One‑euro Canteen Meals for All Students
- French university canteens began offering one-euro meals to all students regardless of income on Monday, replacing a system previously limited to those receiving financial aid.
- Student union advocacy drove the expansion to address food insecurity; a January survey found 48 percent of students have gone without food for financial reasons, with 23 percent struggling several times monthly.
- University restaurant operator Crous served around 46.7 million meals to around 667,000 students in 2024, while the new one-euro rate cuts a three-course meal from the standard 3.30 euros.
- For Alexandre Ioannides, an 18-year-old student in Paris, the measure slashes monthly canteen expenses; he noted, "Whereas now, I'll pay 20 euros," adding savings would go toward "going out or eating at a restaurant."
- Higher Education Minister Philippe Batiste pledged 120 million euros in 2027 to support the scheme and promised oversight to maintain food quality without excessive workload for canteen staff.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Usually reserved for the most precarious students, the 1 euro meal in university restaurants (RU) is now accessible to all, fueling fears about an increase in student attendance and a deterioration in the quality of the dishes.
The generalization, since Monday, May 4, 2026, of one-euro meals in the academic restaurants of the Crous is experienced as a relief for the beneficiary students met in Brest.
The measure requested by the student organisations and included in the 2026 budget comes into effect on Monday, May 4. The Crous workers' unions fear an overload of work due to the shortage of staff.
So far, only scholarship students could access this social rate in university restaurants, instead of €3.30. However, student unions regret that the investment is insufficient to accommodate the surplus of future attendance.
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