Note: Student names have been changed for anonymity.
It’s hard to focus on performing well in college when you’re not sure where your next meal will come from. Many students nationwide face this unsettling uncertainty every day. While ramen packets have become synonymous to the student diet, it is no laughing matter to nutritional science professor Dr. Rickelle Richards, who has dedicated almost a decade to researching food insecurity among college students. Understanding what food insecurity looks like and raising awareness about possible interventions are the first steps to connecting students with the resources they severely lack.
Utahns Against Hunger estimates that two in five Utah college students grapple with food insecurity.1 By USDA’s definition, this means they have a reduced quality or variety in their diet, regularly eat less food, and endure increased anxiety about having enough food.2 Richards was inspired to research the issue after experiencing the pressure of food insecurity herself.
“As a grad student, I took the food security [test] from the USDA, and I would have technically been classified as being food insecure,” she recalls. Richards was in New Orleans at the time, living in a neighborhood without a grocery store. She could buy overpriced fruit from the corner stand or take public transit across town and carry the smaller, more expensive packages home in her backpack. “I didn’t have the variety or quantity I wanted, and I spent more money because of that constraint.”
Richards’s church congregation suggested taking a taxi since she couldn’t safely walk to the store, but the added cost wasn’t worth the convenience. She says, “Unless you’ve lived it, your perception is so different.” Urged on by her nutrition education, Richards used what she could afford—time—to travel farther for healthier options.
Though her days as a student are over, Richards has spent the past seven years gathering data and searching for solutions to student hunger.
Cutting Costs and Choosing Convenience
According to Richards, when students watch dollars drain from their bank account, their food budget is the first thing they adjust. Students have fixed expenses like rent, utilities, car insurance, textbooks, and tuition. But groceries—well, the cost of groceries can go down if you shop more carefully, right? College students make these survival calculations every day, hoping to just make it to their next paycheck.
Being hungry can distort those calculations by rewarding impulsive behaviors. “If you don’t have a nutrition mindset, you’re going to go for convenience,” Richards explains. “You might be getting high-calorie, less-nutrient-dense foods as a way to curb your hunger, whatever is quickly available or shelf stable.”
In a survey conducted among life sciences students, one student, Sylvia, noted, “During times when I put off going to the grocery store, I find myself getting fast food more often because it’s easier than taking the time out of my day to take the bus to get groceries.” Student Caleb added, “Frequently after tests, I stop at Chick-fil-A either on campus or by my apartment because I’m hungry and don’t have the energy or time to make food.”
Unfortunately, it is difficult to use USDA’s food insecurity measurement guide to pinpoint which students most urgently require aid because their budgets come in all shapes and sizes.3 “We have tried to estimate annual income among students, and it is so difficult to measure because you have to consider, ‘What do they count?’” Richards muses. Students may or may not include Pell Grants, student loans, family support, and their own wage income. At this point, there is no tested and standardized way of classifying a college student’s socioeconomic status.
Compounding Mental Health and Body Image Issues
Younger generations have normalized discussing mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, yet many still consider food insecurity to be a taboo topic. Richards calls upon students and faculty to change the way they talk about food insecurity. “We need that transition to happen where we talk about it like we do mental health,” she urges.
Hunger can force students to be acutely conscious of how their bodies feel, potentially exacerbating existing challenges. Student Megan admitted, “I already struggled with my mental health and body image before college, but the added financial stress only made things worse. I realized, not only was it cheaper to restrict my food intake, but doing so was making me lose weight, which put me on a very slippery slope that I still struggle with.
Balancing Low Energy and Tight Schedules
Students balance classes, homework, meeting with teaching assistants, work, commuting, and then try to fit in cooking. Some even pick up additional work hours beyond the recommended 20 per week in order to make ends meet. A report by Utahns Against Hunger found that food insecurity is tied to financial instability, lower grades, and poorly maintained relationships. Report co-author Yesenia Quintana adds, “Students that are hungry . . . were much more likely to report that they had a long-term health issue . . . that they were struggling to pay rent, or that they were struggling with getting clothing or other basic needs.”4
Sylvia, Caleb, and Natalia are among the many students who reported that they regularly set aside a two-hour block from work and school to take the bus to the grocery store. There’s no such thing as a quick shopping trip when you don’t have a car, and long bus commutes are particularly difficult in the winter. Natalia conceded, “It’s hard to take the bus and have to walk from the bus station to my house in the cold with my groceries, so I avoid shopping, which sometimes leaves me with no food in the apartment.”
Feeling a mental and physical burden around grocery shopping was not an uncommon sentiment among students. They want frequent, balanced meals, but their part-time jobs scarcely cover their bills, let alone allow for the purchase of protein and fresh produce. Survey respondent Henry described feeling stressed every day about what he was going to eat, and confessed, “I can’t even remember the number of times I’ve skipped a meal.”
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Facing the Stigma of Asking for Help
The casual language and culture around food insecurity makes it hard to sift out when students need an intervention. A coupon book marketed as the “Starving Student Card” or classmates bemoaning missing breakfast normalizes potentially harmful symptoms. Richards acknowledges that shame can prevent students from addressing the issue earlier, forcing them to reach a breaking point before they finally look for aid. “We need a model that allows students to get food in a way that’s natural,” she says. Using campus resources is not a failure; they exist to be used.
By surveying student populations at multiple universities, Richards is compiling expository evidence answering which student populations face food insecurity and why. Universities can, in turn, use this knowledge to design research-based interventions. Richards also tries to raise awareness in her 100-level general education class, Essentials of Human Nutrition, by guiding students through BYU’s housing and food insecurity resources.
It is vital, according to Richards, that students learn to recognize when one of their peers is in trouble. “Maybe you see a roommate or friend around you who you think is struggling with being able to get food—support them,” she encourages. “Share the resources and go with them. Give them a ride to the store. And let’s make it okay to ask for help.”
Kyle Slaughter, senior consultant at the Dean of Students Office, invites students to check in with their close friends. He suggests asking follow-up questions when someone casually mentions financial hardship or missing meals. Such conversations can open the door to going to the Dean of Students Office in the Wilkinson Student Center together and discussing available options. He wants students to understand that eating well means they can focus during class, get homework done on time, and have the energy to go to work.
Food Insecurity Programs at BYU
In September 2022, BYU’s dean of students Sarah Westerberg established a formal food and housing insecurity program at BYU, after careful coordination with research conducted by BYU’s Student Advisory Council. Through the program, students can access Cannon Center meal vouchers, grocery support for those with dietary restrictions, and budgeting and meal preparation assistance. The office also encourages students to reach out to ecclesiastical leaders, campus resources, and local organizations such as Community Action Services and the Food Bank. Westerberg aims to address acute needs and support students’ efforts to achieve long-term sustainability.
Between 2022 and July 2024, the Dean of Students Office has given out over 1,500 meal vouchers and about $26,500 in housing and grocery aid to 161 students, which is only 0.4 percent of the student body. Slaughter attributes these low numbers to students not knowing about the available services. The office is trying to overcome this obstacle with a campus-wide marketing campaign. In addition, they are meeting with full-time employees to inform them about the services and encourage student referrals as they become aware of individual needs.
Rachel scrutinized herself in the mirror. Was this dress hanging more loosely off her shoulders? She quickly turned away; she wasn’t going to think about it. Sunday church meetings would distract her from her body and her empty cupboards. When the second hour ended, Rachel followed the crowd, trying not to look too eager. Yes! Soup! She filled her bowl to the brim, stacking as many toppings as would fit, and carefully sat down. Money was tight and whenever free food was available, she had to take advantage.
Kevin yawns as he throws his backpack into his passenger seat. It’s been a long day and he’s starving. As he pulls out onto Cougar Boulevard, his gaze sweeps the line of fast food restaurants ahead of him. No. He still had a half-full bag of rice at home. With only $10.00 in his checking account, he should save the money for an emergency, but the smells were too enticing. Fine—just this once. Kevin pulled into a drive-through. His mouth watered at the thought of the meal, full of hot chicken and fries. He frowned when he looked at the menu. The prices had gone up. What was once $4.00 was now $7.50. That might be a negligible difference to someone else, but $7.50 would leave him with only $2.50 for the rest of the week. Was it truly worth it to indulge? The voice over the intercom coughs and repeats, “What can I get you?” Kevin grimaces. He was here now. “I’ll have the chicken sandwich meal,” Kevin says clearly.
Sam waits, shivering, on the empty bus platform by Walmart. She had tried to hold onto her grocery bags, but she gave up when her hands started to go numb. Winter is the hardest time not to have a car. The bags at her feet hold the first fresh groceries she’s purchased in a month. She might’ve gone longer if this hadn’t been her fourth day without breakfast or lunch. It was getting harder to concentrate in class, and she felt tired all the time. Hopefully, this would help, at least until she went through this again next month. Sam checks her wait: fifteen minutes to go. Longingly, she watched the cars driving.
In Richards’s 2024 research with approximately 300 BYU students, 31 percent were classified as food insecure. Although the student responses were a convenience sample, the numbers are in a similar range to research done at other universities.
A key part of developing long-term solutions is identifying the student populations most vulnerable to food insecurity. At BYU, based on the Dean of Students Office data, those populations include members of the BIPOC community (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as well as international, Pell Grant eligible, and first-generation students. Slaughter also notes that “when freshmen come in . . . if there’s not help from home, they’re the ones who actually are struggling hardest because they don’t have the know-how and skill set to be able to deal with the situation they’re facing.”
Looking Forward
Richards and her research team are analyzing the data they collected this year to better understand how food insecurity changes student purchasing patterns and nutrition. Her analysis will help identify what support students want and how to make it accessible. With this information, BYU will be better able to serve its students in need.
Students are not the only ones who suffer from food insecurity. In every community, we can serve those seeking food stability. By educating yourself on what assistance is available in your area, you can become a point of contact for your friends and neighbors to answer questions or offer support. Show your love by checking in on those around you and asking the hard questions. Food insecurity thrives in shame, isolation, and ignorance. We can fight food insecurity by reaching out to one another.
Notes
1. Laura Spitalniak, “2 in 5 Utah College Students Experience Food Insecurity, Survey Finds,” Higher Ed Dive, July 11, 2022, https://www.highereddive.com/news/2-in-5-utah-college-students-experience-food-insecurity-survey-finds/627000/.
2. “Definitions of Food Security,” USDA Economic Research Service, last modified October 25, 2023, https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/definitions-of-food-security/.
3. Bailey Munger et al., “Adaptation of the USDA Food Security Survey Module for College Students,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 122, no. 9 (September 2022): A-57, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.06.182.
4. Katherine Flores, “Chronic Food Insecurity Affects Almost 40% of Utah College Students,” Utah Public Radio, July 18, 2022, https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2022-07-18/chronic-food-insecurity-affects-almost-40-of-utah-college-students.