There are more than 18 million college students in the U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics, and they are increasingly selective about where and how they spend their foodservice dollars. At colleges and universities across the country, students are speaking up and telling their schools’ dining-hall operators they expect the very best. To many students, the very best is synonymous with brand name, packaged foods.
Technomic’s 2011 “College & University Consumer Trend Report” asked college students to think about certain types of food, then rate how important it is to them that their school offers well-known brands of each. The findings are compelling and reveal clear differences between college students today and college students just two years ago, when the survey was last conducted. This year’s report found students are not only aware of the presence of national food brands when purchasing food from an on-campus dining location, they also believe it is important such brands be offered. Perhaps even more interesting, the report clearly shows students feel more strongly about some food items than others.