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. 2021 Jan 11;18(2):534.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020534.

Food Next Door: From Food Literacy to Citizenship on a College Campus

Nanna Meyer  1   2 , Mary Ann Kluge  3 , Sean Svette  1   2 , Alyssa Shrader  1   2 , Andrea Vanderwoude  1   2 , Bethany Frieler  1   2
Affiliations

Food Next Door: From Food Literacy to Citizenship on a College Campus

Nanna Meyer et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Industrial agriculture and food corporations have produced an abundance of food that is highly processed, nutritionally poor, and environmentally burdensome. As part of a healthy campus initiative, generated to address these and other food production and consumption dilemmas, a student-run "local and sustainable" food establishment called Food Next Door (FND) was created. This intrinsic case study evaluated food literacy in health science students, faculty, and staff first as a pilot to build the case for FND and further explicated customers', volunteers', and leads' experiences with FND, identifying potential pathways from food literacy to citizenship. Ten returning customers, eight recurring nutrition student volunteers, and three graduate student leads participated in interviews that were analyzed for themes and subthemes. The findings show a progression in themes. Customers' experiences highlight FND's fresh, flavorful food, smiling and supportive staff, and personal transformation. Volunteers' themes identified greater awareness of new foods and plant-based eating, acquiring new knowledge and skills in commercial kitchens, and deepening their connection to food, each other, and to where food comes from. Leads' themes show opportunities to gain managerial skills, a deeper understanding of food and skills from being immersed in value-based food systems, and confidence in peer teaching. Experiencing and becoming part of the food value chain through FND built food literacy, shifted values, and transformed students into food citizens.

Keywords: experiential learning; food citizenship; food literacy; food value chains; local food; nutrition education; transformation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Food Next Door values for sustainable sourcing, adapted from Meyer, 2020 [35] with permission.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Weekly cyclic process managed by two Sustainability, Wellness & Learning (SWELL) graduate assistants (hired by Dining and Hospitality Services) who are in the Department of Human Physiology and Nutrition and specifically, in the Sport Nutrition Graduate Program.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Themes and subthemes for customers, volunteers, and leads.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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