OPINION: Time to ditch the meat pies

WE have put up with it for years and finally we are starting to speak out.

WE have put up with it for years and finally we are starting to speak out.

What am I talking about?

It's the high price and low quality food we are dished up at sporting venues around this country.

New research from Western Sydney University has revealed that the classic diet of meat pies, chips and beer is no longer the demand of the Australian sports fan.

The meat pie is such traditional fare in Australia that in 2013 one of Australia's iconic venues, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) alone sold more than 300,000 pies.

The new study has revealed sports fans have voiced their dissatisfaction with the food and beverage selections on offer at stadiums, with price and service quality a particular pain point.

The simple fact is stadium's know they have a captive audience once you walk through the gate and they charge their caterers a premium price to be there.

They in turn only want to sell you easy to prepare fast food that offers them as high a margin as possible. Hence we get the traditional reheated menu.

In order to meet the demands of a new generation of health conscious spectators, venues such as Adelaide Oval and SCG Northern Stand have included better quality food options, which spectators appear to have embraced.

The onus is now on other Australian stadiums to follow the example to provide more varied, higher quality, healthier food and beverage options that represent better value for money. Mind you many will still want their meat pie and sauce.