Survey: Big college athletic departments spending 145% more on food

Spending has more than doubled for meals and snacks to feed athletes at major college athletic programs, according to a recent survey by the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association.

The survey of 31 full-time sports dietitians—most of them from NCAA Power 5 conferences—found that the average annual food budget increased from $534,130 in 2014 to $1.3 million this year.

Findings indicated that the 145 percent uptick started when the NCAA lifted its food restrictions on meals and snacks one year ago, allowing colleges to provide as much food and beverages to their players as they want.

CPSDA also had sports dietitian’s rank—from one to 10—how satisfied they believed their athletes were with the expanded food offerings. The average score was eight.

“They simply don’t know how much better things are compared to just a few years ago. But after all, how could they? And I don’t think we’ll tell them. We don’t want to spoil their appetites,” said Allison Maurer, sports dietitian at the University of Tennessee, in a statement.