By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD- As Americans, we waste up to a third of the food we buy. New research shows that problem is particularly pronounced among college students.

Cassandra Nikolaus, doctoral student in food science and nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says people in the 18-24 age group are the most wasteful, but college students who live off-campus — and, thus, are purchasing, planning, and preparing meals– waste less than do those who eat in dining halls.

She says people in the college-age crowd simply do not see themselves as part of the problem.

“We do have tons of options here on campus in the dining halls,” Nikolaus tells WJBC News. “However, some students — what’s the phrase? — their eyes are bigger than their stomachs, and so will be piling their plates full and find some things don’t taste like
they expect them to, or they just can’t finish. We talked to some living on campus who said they don’t want to wait in line a second time, so they just got more than they knew they could eat.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666317311364