Cost of food and drink a topic of conversation at Games

A recent tweet by someone attending the Sandwell Aquatics centre drew attention to the cost of a plate of sausage and chips, with the meal costing £9.50.

It has brought into question the cost of food and drink at different venues and who was responsible for the pricing at the venues.

At the University of Birmingham site, which is hosting hockey and squash, there were a range of food items available from different vendors at the site.

These included chilli salt chicken, with the top item salt and chilli chicken with chips for £12 and salt and chilli chips for £8.

Other items included churros for £7.50, a half pound burger with cheese for £10.50, a meat feast pizza for £15.50 and a mighty duck wrap with bacon and cheese for £10.50.

Additionally, there was a drinks bar which was serving 500ml cans of cider for £5.70 and 330ml cans of pilsner for £5.50, plus a spirit with mixer for £8.50 and a small wine for £9, or a bottle for £35.

Across at the NEC, there were the regular outlets of Subway and Starbucks, both of which had prices slightly higher than regular outlets, but still not hugely expensive, with a footlong sub costing around £7.50 and a coffee at Starbucks around £4.50.

Other pop-up outlets at the site included Carnivore Club, which offered a sandwich with either brisket, lamb or pork, salad and a choice of sauce for £9.50 and a burger van charging £6.50 for a cheese burger.

One person, who asked not to be named, said they weren't surprised to see the prices higher than normal.

He said: "You expect to pay a bit more at these places as they are venues with a captive audience, so I wasn't surprised to see higher prices here."

Rachael Tucker from Swansea had been to the NEC a couple of times with team Wales and said you get what you pay for.

She said: "I know that if I go into Starbucks, I'm going to pay a lot, as with Subway as I know I'll pay £7 or £8 for a meal.

"In a big place like the NEC, they know that they can raise their prices for big events like this because they know people will have to buy food and drink at some point.

"I would suggest people bring stuff in because then they'll save some money."

A Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games spokeswoman said: “Each of our venues have a range of hot and cold food available to buy, including the use of produce sourced locally from the West Midlands.

"This is accompanied by a selection of hot and cold beverages, including alcohol and soft drinks.

"The pricing structure for the food and drink available at our venues are set by the concessionaires but are reflective of the industry standard at major sporting and entertainment events.

"Spectators are also welcome to bring a small amount of food into venues for personal consumption, with Birmingham 2022 being one of the first major sporting events to allow this.

"Spectators are also encouraged to take their own water bottles into venues to make use of the free drinking water available through our sustainable water bars provided by Severn Trent Water.”

Another cost for fans has been ticket costs for the different events, with organisers offering a range of tickets.

The cheapest ticket for all events has been £8 for children under 16 or £15 for adults, while the most expensive has been £260 for the opening and closing ceremonies and £125 for track and field athletics.

To find out more and to buy tickets to events, go to tickets.birmingham2022.com