Sustainable food in higher education students: characterization and gender differences

Characterization and gender differences

Abstract

Human food has contributed to the worsening of environmental problems. This research focuses on the problem of food (in) sustainability, seeking to answer the problem: What are the practices and concerns of students who attend higher education with food products management? A quantitative methodology was chosen and a questionnaire survey was developed. The sample consisted of 718 students from the Escola Superior de Educação de Bragança, 61% female, 93.5% aged between 18 and 25 years. The results showed that the majority of students avoid wasting cooked food, but still do not habitually manage surplus in the best way. There were also statistically significant differences in results between genders, favourable to females. It was concluded, therefore, that it is pertinent to include this theme in Environmental Education programs and campaigns, helping people to adopt or reinforce behaviours that make their food more environmentally sustainable.