Perceptions of Sustainable Dietary Practices : A Comparison Between Food and Nutrition Professionals and Food-Related Major Students in South Korea

This study examined the differences in the perceptions of sustainable dietary practices, as well as the perceived importance and actual performance of these practices, between food and nutrition professionals and students majoring in food-related fields in South Korea. An online survey was administered in October, 2024 to 70 professionals and 107 students. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests. The overall understanding of sustainable diets was moderate (M=3.46), with the highest scores observed in the health domain (M=3.80), followed by environment (M=3.65) and society (M=3.33). Across the three dimensions, the professionals showed significantly higher levels of recognition than the students, with a significant difference observed in overall understanding (p<0.05). Although the perceived importance of sustainable dietary practices was generally high in both groups, distinct domain-specific patterns emerged. Professionals placed greater emphasis on the health and environmental domains, whereas students prioritized the societal domain following health. In terms of performance, professionals reported higher engagement in health- and environment-related practices, while the students showed relatively higher performance in societal practices. These findings highlight distinct patterns in how professionals and students perceive and practice sustainable dietary behaviors, suggesting the need for tailored educational approaches.