Pricey food disadvantages students

by Jaslyn Lai

May 8, 2008

GROCERY price increases are affecting struggling students, who are thinking twice whether to buy or not buy.

Nutritionist Jannie Wee says recent price hikes are a global problem.

“With climate change affecting the weather, that affects the shortage of food supply, and has had a vast change of increase in grocery prices, where there is more demand than production,” Ms Wee says.

Murdoch University students from Malaysia and Singapore interviewed by eMU News had a grumble about the cost of food.

“A vast increase in grocery prices just makes me skip all of my meals and just survive on bread and butter during dinner,” says Malaysian overseas student, Joy Pung.

Singaporean student, Amelia Lim, says she would rather fly home to Singapore than stay in Australia to deal with high prices that eat up half her pocket money each week.

Ms Wee says cutting short on meals will only disrupt the body. She suggests using money wisely to choose good value, wholesome food.

She said Australian governments should reduce tax on local produce, and subsidise farmers’ seed, fertilisers, weed killers and other supplies.

To help students save on grocery prices, Ms Wee provided a barbecue pork recipe that costs only $5 per person to prepare, and can be used as leftovers.

Barbeque Pork

Ingredients:

½ kg of Pork
1 tbsp of Sugar
3 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
¼ teaspoon of White Pepper
½ teaspoon of Kombushitake Dashi Seasoning Powder
2 tbsp of Teriyaki Sauce
3 tbsp of Corn Flour

Directions:

1. Season the sugar, oyster sauce, white pepper, seasoning powder, teriyaki sauce and corn flour into the pork and leave it overnight.
2. Grill it over a pan the next day.

Barbeque Pork Sandwich

1. The leftover meat can be put into pita bread with some lettuce, tomato and cucumber in it.

Barbeque Pork Noodles

1. Use any noodles to be boiled in a boiled hot water in a small pot for 3 minutes
2. After the noodles are boiled, dry the noodles to be served on the plate with the pork on top of the noodles with some lettuce and carrot with it

Barbeque Pork With Rice

1. Cook at least one cup of rice using a rice steamer for 20 minutes
2. After the rice is cooked, serve the rice in a bowl and the barbeque pork in a separate plate