The University of Exeter spent almost £6,000 on biscuits in 2015, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
The information revealed exclusively to Exeposé, shows that a grand total of £5,780 worth of funds were spent on providing biscuits for customers at, or attending events at the University last year. The biscuits are not, however, for University staff. Unfortunately the University does not hold record of the exact number of biscuits purchased, meaning a cost-per-biscuit calculation is not possible.
However, an investigation by this reporter revealed that had the biscuits been McVities Hobnobs and purchased at the Guild Shop (priced at 75p per packet), then this would amount to 7,706 packets of biscuits, or 154,133 biscuits in total. Had the University opted for the slightly pricier Maryland ‘Big & Chunky’ cookies (priced at £1.99 per packet), they would have been able to purchase 2,904 packets, or 22,236 biscuits in total.
A similar request sent by a UCL stu- dent revealed that the London University spent £57,196.75 on biscuits between 1 January 2014 and 7 October 2015, making Exeter’s confectionary expenditure seem fairly modest in comparison.
Speaking about University biscuit expenses, a spokesperson said: “Each year, there are thousands of meetings, events and functions involving staff, students and visitors that take place at the University on all campuses. Occasionally, and where appropriate, some small offer of light refreshments may be provided.”