SHANGHAI, Sept. 12 -- UNIVERSITIES across China are getting serious about those who sneak into campus canteens for a cheap lunch as food prices continue to surge.

Education authorities in Guangdong Province has warned that any colleges found offering free cafeteria access to non-students will be punished as school canteens are subsidized by the government, said Wang Zuyi, director of the logistics department of the provincial education office, the South Metropolis News reported today.

He didn't elaborate on possible punishments, the report said.

College canteens have become a popular eating choice for people living or working nearby as the food remains cheap despite a large rise in food costs this year

China's Consumer Price Index, the main gauge of inflation, jumped 6.5 percent in August from a year earlier, the highest growth rate in more than a decade, the National Statistic Bureau said yesterday.

Food prices, which make up about one-third of the CPI basket, jumped 18.2 percent in August from a year earlier after gaining 15.4 percent in July, the bureau said. Meat and poultry prices soared 49 percent in August, following a 45.2 percent increase a month earlier.

Meanwhile, the education commission in Beijing has issued a notice to all universities in the capital, telling them to keep outside diners off campus after complaints about longer lines and potential threats to school security, the Beijing Morning Post said.

The Beijing Municipal government has offered a subsidy of 25.16 million yuan (US$3.4 million) to universities and vocational schools to ensure that students can still enjoy cheap food despite the skyrocketing food cost.

In Shanghai, the logistics department at Shanghai Jiaotong University started using campus cards instead of food tickets on Monday so that no outsiders can dine at the canteen.