College students are pretty green. Most of us don’t drive much, we represent a high proportion of vegetarians and vegans, and we are more likely than many other population groups to engage in green activism, protests, and voting. We are contributing our grain of sand; however, this does not always translate into purchase options.
I am a second year geography student, and in my third year research project I would like to investigate what percentage of students are constantly shopping based on environmental factors, such as organic and local, when it comes to fruits and vegetables. After this I really want to understand why, by starting conversations about shopping habits and asking what might persuade students to make greener choices, in particular when choosing organic foods.
Yes, organic food is more expensive. Meanwhile, the price of regular non-organic food is artificially low because it does not take into account the real social costs. Therefore, there is growing concern that food is becoming a very socio-economic problem. But is this the answer overly simplified? While, yes, students are generally short on money, is the cost of our food the only reason for our purchase options? In general, here in the UK, we spend a much smaller proportion of our income on food compared to other European countries.
This raises the question of prioritization. Students, for example, often have a busy social life, as well as many other hobbies, all of which require money. For me personally, I can be weirdly happy to spend £ 20 at the pub or $ 10 on takeaway, but I often have to think twice before spending 30p more on organic tomatoes. For others, I’m sure the convenience is half the hassle, like having to read labels or maybe go to another store to buy fruits and vegetables. We are all human and busy, and we are also not working on a 9 to 5 routine. Students also differ in that we shop just for ourselves (which is often quite frugal), while many buy the organic thinking of the quality of your food for your partner or family.
We are a demographic largely untapped by the organic sector, and understanding student reasoning is key to changing that. This can be used to inform strategies, such as increased education and incentives. Is there a need for there to be more involvement from universities or, instead, direct involvement of organic vendors with student bodies? Fundamentally, these solutions and proposals must have their origin in the students themselves. While the government does not subsidize or invest in organic food, or tax environmentally damaging production, the burden falls on consumers. Targeting groups, such as students and low-income ones, requires stronger strategies to find them midway to incentivize change.
This serves as an opportunity to access a large market of people in the UK and, more importantly, a young group for whom this could influence their lifetime consumption choices and proliferate through future generations. .
Illustration by Tom Jay, tomjay.com.
This column was originally published in the Summer 2021 issue of Wicked Leeks. You can read the full magazine for free on Issuu here.