Food Sustainability Knowledge and Its Relationship with Dietary Habits of College Students

Abstract

Consumers have power to support food sustainability through dietary choices, but research on how knowledge affects behavior is limited. College students are a significant segment of consumers. Self-report data were collected from a convenience sample of 230 undergraduate students in California. Sustainability knowledge was low. Nutrition and health students had significantly more knowledge than other majors. A significant positive correlation was found between sustainability knowledge and attitudes with probability of supporting a diet that reduces meat/dairy, preference for organic foods, and willingness to pay more for sustainable foods. Thus, knowledge may influence attitudes and dietary behavior of college students.