There are many campus settings that do not offer a diverse selection of healthy foods, numerous published studies have found. For example, a 2019 study of food options at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway found that 40% of the available products were unhealthy and 86% were ultra-processed. A 2009 study of lunch offerings at Ghent University in Belgium found that only 5% of meals available complied with an optimal nutritional profile, and too many were “too rich in fat and [sodium] and contain insufficient vegetables and fruits.” And a 2022 study of the University of Newcastle in Australia found low food availability satisfaction rates—only 36% were satisfied with the main meals and 49% were satisfied with snacks.
Food options are not the only issue for students. Cost is a major factor, as well. Many students have limited financial resources and need to stretch their food allowance. A major 2016 survey of students at 34 U.S. colleges across 12 states found that 48% of respondents were food insecure, with 18% saying they often couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals. And one in five students had skipped eating for at least one day over the last 30 days due to lack of money. These circumstances may push students to consume more processed fast food options that tend to be cheaper.
But food purchases are also a matter of lifestyle choice. Paradoxically, students, themselves, are partly to blame for their low satisfaction rates. For example, when confronted with a busy schedule, students may opt to bypass a healthier meal and instead opt for snacks or fast food—or skip meals altogether.
One 2019 study of first year U.S. students found that students report food insecurity while still having meals left unused on their meal plans. The authors suggest that this reporting may be due to students’ difficulty in obtaining food at night, when most of the university food outlets are closed. A 2018 study of students at Universiti Brunei Darussalam found that more than half did not eat breakfast regularly, and the authors noted that the majority of students snacked regularly between meals.
What’s more, students’ tastes may simply skew to unhealthier options, even when healthier options are available to them. This may particularly be the case among male students. A 2022 study analyzing the food purchases at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte showed that males have worse food purchasing habits than females and that as the students aged, the fast-food purchases decreased among females yet increased for males.