Exploring the preferences of French university students using real-life food sourcing data: A proof-of-concept study

Taste and preferences play a crucial role in shaping eating behaviours. However, research on the factors influencing university students' preferences in real-life settings and at the diet level remains limited. This article presents the results of a study conducted with a sample of French students who collected data on the food they personally sourced during one month alongside hedonic scores. Food preferences were compared based on food categories, sourcing locations, consumption frequencies, and the nutritional, environmental, economic, and sensory properties of the foods. The results showed that about 75 % of the sourced foods were highly appreciated, and preferred foods were generally but not systematically consumed more frequently. However, students' diet also included 25 % of moderately liked foods, such as utilitarian and routine foods. Students' preferences often conflicted with higher nutritional quality but not with lower environmental impact. Among the factors influencing preferences, foods with sweet and fatty tastes and ready-to-eat foods were generally preferred, while foods requiring culinary preparation and lower-priced foods within a category were less liked. The context in which food was sourced proved to be the most influential factor, with foods served in collective catering settings being the least liked. Certain food categories, such as fruits, emerged as offering both sensory enjoyment and potential health and sustainability benefits. This research underscores the relationships between food choices, sensory perceptions, preferences, and the context in which foods are sourced and consumed. From a methodological standpoint, it highlights the potential of real-life data collection in better understanding food consumption behaviours in relation to preferences and emphasizes the need to continue developing large-scale, ecological approaches that integrate sensory experiences within a broader context. • Validation of a new approach to assess food preferences based on real-life data. • Preferences conflicted with nutritional quality, not with environmental impact. • Fruits and nuts offer sensory and sustainability co-benefits. • Sweet, fatty, and ready-to-eat foods were the most liked by university students. • Foods from collective catering, unprepared and cheap were the least liked.