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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students’ Food Choice Motives in Greece

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  • Dimitris Skalkos

    (Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece)

  • Zoi C. Kalyva

    (Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece)

  • Ioanna S. Kosma

    (Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece)

Abstract

We are already more than year away from the pandemic period of COVID-19; its effects and the changes it caused in our lives are becoming ever clearer, and these effects include our food choices and motives. In this study, we investigated changes in food choice motives due to the COVID-19 in college students in Greece; we used the 10 key food motives, namely health, convenience, sensory pleasure, appeal, nutritional quality, moral concerns, weight control, mood and stress, familiarity, price, and shopping frequency and behavior. A sample of 1017 college students answered the questionnaire survey through the Google platform, conducted in January to February 2023. The collected data were analyzed with statistical tools, combining cross and chi-square tests. The students exhibited subtle and very important preferences in terms of health, convenience, weight control, and mood and stress. Food choices related to sensory appeal, nutritional quality, and familiarity were of less importance for the students, similarly to ethical concerns; concern regarding the environmental impact of the food was greater than expected. The motive which continues to be of the highest concern for students before and after the pandemic is price; the students look for value for money in food (88.8%), inexpensiveness (80.7%), and cheapness (78.7%). The shopping frequency and behavior motives, which changed during the pandemic, have now returned to the preferences of the pre-pandemic period, with the purchasing of foods distributed between supermarkets (29%), local grocery stores (37.6%), online (12.3%), and by delivery services (20.4%), weekly or every two weeks. College students’ preference for cooking full meals at home is now very high, reaching 74.4%; students mostly avoid eating at restaurants or eating fast food (only 27%). Our findings indicate that students have already returned to their food choice motives of the period before COVID-19, except with regard to home-cooked food which now ranks higher in their preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Dimitris Skalkos & Zoi C. Kalyva & Ioanna S. Kosma, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students’ Food Choice Motives in Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-11, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:9865-:d:1175799
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dimitris Skalkos & Zoi C. Kalyva, 2023. "Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Choice Motives: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Axelle Hoge & Mathilde Labeye & Anne-Françoise Donneau & Halehsadat Zahraei Nekoee & Eddy Husson & Michèle Guillaume, 2022. "Health Literacy and Its Associations with Understanding and Perception of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Higher Education Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Nadia Palmieri & Alessandro Suardi & Luigi Pari, 2020. "Italian Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Eucalyptus Firewood," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, March.
    4. George Tsalis & Birger Boutrup Jensen & S. Wiley Wakeman & Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, 2021. "Promoting Food for the Trash Bin? A Review of the Literature on Retail Price Promotions and Household-Level Food Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, April.
    5. Carine Meyimdjui & Jean-Louis Combes, 2021. "Food Price Shocks and Household Consumption in Developing Countries: The Role of Fiscal Policy," IMF Working Papers 2021/012, International Monetary Fund.
    6. Dimitris Skalkos & Ioanna S. Kosma & Eleni Chasioti & Thomas Bintsis & Haralabos C. Karantonis, 2021. "Consumers’ Perception on Traceability of Greek Traditional Foods in the Post-COVID-19 Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    7. Dimitris Skalkos & Nikos Roumeliotis & Ioanna S. Kosma & Christos Yiakoumettis & Haralabos C. Karantonis, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumers’ Motives in Purchasing and Consuming Quality Greek Wine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-23, June.
    8. Kathrin Wunsch & Korbinian Kienberger & Claudia Niessner, 2022. "Changes in Physical Activity Patterns Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-48, February.
    9. Nadia Palmieri & Maria Angela Perito & Claudio Lupi, 2020. "Consumer acceptance of cultured meat: some hints from Italy," Post-Print hal-03385175, HAL.
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