University student perceptions of seasonal and local foods

This study examined how university students conceptualize "seasonal" and "l ocal" in relation to food. Because starting college often represents the fi rst time many people assume primary responsibility for their meals, food be liefs of students are particularly relevant. A one-page written questionnai re was developed, pretested, and used to survey 166 undergraduate students from a nutrition and an economics class at one university. Students were as ked to describe the concepts of "seasonal" and "local" foods and to name "s easonal" and "local" foods. Three-fourths of the students had heard the ter ms "seasonal" and "local" but only about one-fourth reported using the term s themselves. A multitude of meanings were attached to the concepts of "sea sonal" and "local" foods. Meanings having to do with food availability or p roduction were most common for the seasonal food concept. Fewer meanings we re identified for the concept of local foods; most commonly, those having t o do with local foods had to do with where food is produced. Virtually all students could name "seasonal" and "local" foods. Nutrition students were m ore familiar with these terms than economics students. These results sugges t that assessing and understanding how people define concepts such as "seas onal" and "local" may be beneficial in developing and implementing effectiv e food and nutrition education.