Matthew De Alba; New York University
Cite as: De Alba, Matthew. 2026. “‘Have You Eaten Today?’ Barriers to Food Experiences for NYU Students Finding Themselves”. Food-Fueled. doi:10.57912/32180469.
Please click here to download the piece as a PDF. The text is also listed below.
Abstract
As the research for college student food security slowly increases, there’s a further need to explore the multifaceted challenges college students face regarding nutrition, food security, and social practices of eating during the transition to adulthood. With the burning question of “How does college impact the way that college students eat?,” this project explores some of the various factors that are impacting how New York University students eat and experience food. Through a focus on newfound independence, food security, and commensality, this project explores the findings of several reports and research papers on the college eating experience, as well as primary research on the topic (student testimony and work an on-campus food pantry), to begin understanding some current NYU students’ relationship with food. Understanding these intersections further reveals that food insecurity is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed to improve student well-being and success.
Introduction
After disregarding yet another one of my mother’s “have you eaten today?” text messages, I powerwalk to my next class, stomach slightly grumbling. The slight annoyance at yet another reminder leads me to think: “does she not think I can handle myself?” I power off my phone and quickly fall into a deeper realization of her concern.
College is the ultimate test of independence and free will, a time when “adulting” is within reach and feels so natural yet can quickly become an incredible struggle. Between erratic courseloads, tight budgets, and instant noodle cravings, college often marks a turning point for students’ eating habits. For so many, it’s more than just a transition; it’s a change. One thing seems to linger: something about food—as in, access to, the eating experience, and navigating a healthy lifestyle balance—is not working for many students as they grapple with their independence as young adults.
New York University (NYU) is one of the most diverse institutions in the United States, with students from all 50 states and over 21,000 international students and scholars from over 120 different countries (New York University n.d.). Even at a university located in a city as diverse and food centric as New York City (NYC), for many students, eating presents a new challenge.
Through a synthesis of personal reflection on my work at a student-run campus food pantry, applied research on basic needs insecurity on college campuses, and testimony from students at a private, urban four-year university, this paper aims to consider the following: what barriers prevent college students from eating well, complicating their identity development as emerging adults?
Newfound Independence
The newfound freedom many college students experience allows them to choose what and when they want to eat. However, when asked about their eating habits and college lifestyles, many students report that the campus culture seems to alter and affect eating habits and number of meals per day. As students balance rigorous courses, part-time jobs, and the plethora of extracurricular activities, there’s a quick realization of the effects of college on daily eating habits.
“I’m lucky if I can enjoy two meals a day, let alone three,” says a New York University (NYU) College of Arts & Science sophomore in an informal student testimony inquiring about the eating experience at NYU (Anonymous source, personal communication October 2025). Highlighting some of the challenges that come with being responsible for one hundred percent of their own food intake, some students realize they may lack the skills and resources needed to maintain a nutritious diet. A student from the NYU Tisch School of Arts claims:
“College is so weird because it’s the first time I’m grocery shopping for myself so I’m not good at it. Buying food that spoils quickly makes me nervous, so I don’t buy much of it, but that means a lack of fruits/vegetables, which is awkward. On days without classes, I’m eating continuously throughout the whole day, but on days with a lot of classes it’s hard to find time and remember to prioritize meals” (Anonymous source, personal communication October 2025).
If students are purchasing vegetables and more nutritious options while they’re grocery shopping, but then not using them due lack of time, resources, or knowledge on how to prepare them, students are less likely to then purchase these ingredients next time, and go for the more convenient, less-nutritious options.
An NYU Liberal Studies sophomore reports, “my busy schedule combined with having to prepare food myself without any help, has caused me to eat less frequent meals,” a feeling echoed in various other testimonies. Additionally, students often report they average about two meals a day, less than the traditional three meals a day, citing erractic courseloads, extracurriculars, and a shift from structured eating from K-12 schooling. (Anonymous sources, personal communication 2025). In research conducted at other institutions, a majority of students indicate they would “eat healthier if time were not an issue” (Reyes 2010, 9). Reyes’ study further examines other factors that seem to affect eating habits for undergraduate students, such as socioeconomic status, environmental factors, as well as the role of social class on access to food, which may equally impact students. At NYU, there is currently no centralized means of providing basic needs and nutrition education to students, particularly during key events such as orientation, advising, etc. To that end, this data leads to wondering what the role of an institution is in supporting students’ knowledge of basic nutrition and basic needs resources and providing support to make sure students are successful and eating a sustainable three meals a day.
Financial Hardships
For many students, deciding what and when to eat isn’t just a matter of good decision-making—it’s a matter of survival. As students begin to navigate independence and nutritional options available to them, many students are also faced with financial hardships and realities of budgeting, which is only heightened in an expensive city like New York. At NYU, over one-fifth of students reported “financial hardship affording food,” according to the 2018 ‘Being@NYU’ report (Rankin & Associates Consulting 2018). This small glimpse was then enlarged by a 2019 study from Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, which surveyed students from “over 100 institutions” across the United States, revealing 45 percent of student respondents claimed to have experienced food insecurity within 30 days (The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University 2019).
This hardship is not isolated to the universities surveyed. NYC was just recently named by wealth migration firm Henley & Partners’ report, the “second-most expensive city in the world (Henley & Partners).” From the college student perspective, the limited hours and wages of part-time jobs (in NYC, minimum wage is $17.00/hour, and students may work no more than 20 hours/week at a highly competitive on-campus job), combined with economic inflation, access to substantial food and groceries may very well prove difficult to most students.
The NYU meal plan is an interesting point of contention for students, as on one hand, the meal plan is “too expensive” and leads students to purchasing the smallest meal plan; but on the other, the convenience and guardrail can be supportive if done correctly. Some upper-year students further expressed the large shift from their freshman year, “when the meal plan was required, [it] made eating slightly less stressful (personal communication October 2025).” As the meal plan at NYU is heavily pushed onto first-year students, the question remains on how to support students after the first year, when the meal plan is not as heavily promoted.
While some students expressed the NYU meal plan “generally helped with food,” they also expressed concern about the high cost of the meal plan. NYU Dining features “23 locations and 50 dining concepts” are available to students with a meal plan or those paying out of pocket (New York University n.d.). The meal plan is meant to be a sort of “win-win” for both students and the University, blending convenience and “food that is both delicious and nutritious” with blatant profiteering (New York University n.d.). NYU’s policy is that “all residents, irrespective of academic status, assigned to traditional style residence halls, as well as first-year students living in residence halls are required to participate in a meal plan” (New York University n.d.) This policy is likely set in place to support students in their transition to college who likely do not have access to a kitchen within their space.
In my work as an NYU Liberal Studies Service Ambassador, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with not only students visiting the pantry and hear their stories, but also with NYU administrators to support larger food and basic needs initiatives on campus. In this advocacy work, I’ve learned more about institutional change and bureaucratic cycles that can often inhibit real change from occurring. Various administrators have shared with me NYU’s need to make “data-driven decisions,” which often complicates change as even basic data collection and analysis takes time, and often does not include student voices in those conversations.
Lack of Resource Awareness
The term “food insecurity” is often far from students’ minds until they arrive at college; many of whom likely came from a more stable background when it comes to food. Many students who are food insecure in college likely come from families where they did not (or at least consciously) experience food insecurity.
At many colleges, NYU included, there’s more work to be done in promoting both the on and off-campus basic needs resources available to students. Throughout my various involvements across the University, I frequently inquire about what promotional work is done to inform incoming and current students about resources available to them. In my work with NYU’s College of Arts and Science; School of Liberal Studies; and The Office of the Dean of Students, Basic Needs, these resources are only heavily promoted during each schools’ orientation (with no universal expectation of sharing these resources), which come at a time where first-year students are less likely to utilize these resources (given most of them have meal plans and/or kitchens). Furthermore, while the Office of the Dean of Students, Basic Needs has started to work on outreach and promotion via social media, their reach still has a long way to go, given their small Instagram presence with 476 followers, and frankly little-to-no knowledge of the Basic Needs team unless referred by pantry staff or data collection.
In an effort to combat food insecurity at NYU, offices and programs such as the Student Basic Needs team, numerous campus food pantries, and Swipe it Forward aim to bridge some of the gaps between students and access to food. While these programs take steps to support students, larger strides need to be made. It is evident that while some students utilize these resources, many students either don’t know of these resources or the ways they can get involved in bolster food security on and off campus.
A graduate student from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development who visited the Pantry indicated they had learned about the Pantry “through a friend of a friend” but did not know of its existence beforehand (Anonymous source, personal communication October 2025). Similarly, when asked about other resources such as NYU Courtesy Meals, Swipe it Forward, and off-campus resources, multiple students shared they either were “unaware” of the program(s), and/or how easy it was to get involved (i.e, donating unused meal swipes to the fully donation-based system).
While food insecurity is often seen as a pressing issue at many institutions, it’s only half of the story. If institutions such as NYU are facilitating programs to support students, why do students not know about them? Both NYU students who visit the Violet Pantry, as well as those who filled out the survey generally report both a lack of financial means and nutritional knowledge is increasingly prohibiting students from accessing substantial, nutritious foods.
Commensality as a College Student
Food is not just about what food we eat. Rather, it is a social and cultural practice that is essential to have us live, communicate, and coexist with others. Pulling together the web of time, money, class, and status, are students living to eat or eating to live?
This idea is tied to the idea of commensality—the act and social practice of eating together. This idea can vary from different dynamics and has even slightly transformed into our larger digital space, but the idea of community and connection remains. Making the transition from family commensality to college commensality, however, can be hard.
An NYU Liberal Studies student expressed the shift of moving from “eating with my family every night and talking about our days” to “eating alone in my dorm, left to my own literal devices” has made eating “feel more like a chore, than something I get to enjoy” (personal communication, October 2025). Other students expressed similar concerns, yet again citing time and money as an inhibitor of shared meals and social gatherings. “Honestly, if it weren’t for the dining halls, I’m not sure I’d really ever go out with my friends,” says NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing sophomore (Anonymous source, personal communication, October 2025). Some students do this well, and they go out to eat in New York City, but the reality is that it is difficult to sustain this. Coordinating schedules, expenses, and culturally specific foods are all things that college students navigate as they work to build community.
Not only do many students face barriers of access to a meal, but they must also learn to navigate the barriers of community and overall happiness. A study conducted by the World Happiness Report found more Americans are eating meals alone, and compared to those who share meals with others, are experiencing a decline in overall happiness and social connectedness (DeNeve et al. 2025). Building and maintaining a social life in college is already enough stress for most students. Sharing meals and having that community seem to have some effect on overall happiness for students. It’s important to remember that eating is a practice, and in doing so, commensality might just play an integral role in both happiness and cultural empathy. Some students
As NYU Liberal Studies food studies and writing professor Cammie Kim Lin says in her NYU Trailblazer Series lecture, “food acts as a way to express, explore, and (re) claim identity and community,” especially as new adults explore their identity as they navigate college (Lin and MeetNYU 2025, at 18:15). These sentiments should be continued to be shared with students and families as they begin to prepare for the transitional period that is college. If college students understood not only the effects of lonely eating, but also the importance of commensality and continuity of routine to overall wellbeing, the increase in consciousness would be incredibly impactful.
Conclusion & Discussion
As a second-year college student myself, I, too, have become more conscious of the transitional effects from my typical and stable home life, to how independence impacts my eating habits and overall experiences with food.
Students at New York University are indicating a change in experiences with food which is not limited to the lack of access to food. Sure, college is a time for students to become comfortable with the ‘friction’ of life and learn how to navigate life on their own, but it reaches a point where learning adulthood is more than a learning experience, but rather a systemic issue. This leads to a larger consideration: if the limited amounts of time and income severely impact college students’ knowledge and access surrounding food, what is the next step? Students need access to basic nutritional knowledge, support with both access to food, as well as spaces that promote the importance of eating, and eating together. The problem does not seem to have a single cut-and-dry answer but rather needs to be addressed at a systemic level. Supporting food pantries and initiatives is a start, but the issue needs to not only be addressed institutionally, but at a policy level. While this essay starts the conversation of what students may be facing at NYU, a larger inquiry and study should be conducted at various institutions to address these barriers.
References
De-Neve, Jan-Emmanuel, et al. 2025. Sharing meals with others: How sharing meals supports happiness and social connections. World Happiness Report, 2025. https://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/sharing-meals-with-others-how-sharing-meals-supports-happiness-and-social-connections/
Goldrick-Rab, Sara, et al. College and University Basic Needs Insecurity: A National #RealCollege Survey Report. Hope4College, 2019. https://hope4college.com/files/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/hope_realcollege_national_report_digital.pdf
Henley & Partners. 2025. The World’s Most Expensive Cities. Henley & Partners. https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/wealthiest-cities-2025/worlds-most-expensive-cities
Lin, Cammie, speaker. 2025 “NYU Trailblazers: ‘You Are What You Eat: Gastronomy & Identity’ with Dr. Cammie Kim Lin.” Virtual lecture livestream, posted January 17, 2025, by Meet NYU, YouTube, 18:15. https://youtu.be/i86sLANco-s?si=-mu-whBXBh7cg_8D&t=1096
New York University. “Dining on Campus.” Accessed October 28th, 2025, at, https://www.nyu.edu/students/student-information-and-resources/housing-and-dining/dining.html.
New York University. n.d. “Prospective International Students.” Accessed October 28th, 2025, at https://www.nyu.edu/students/communities-and-groups/international-students.html.
Rankin & Associates, Consulting. 2018. Being@NYU Assessment of Climate for Learning, Living, and Working. Rankin & Associates. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q-JsJPH0QxRdFnpQVXOJYptDr_maKENY/view.
Reyes, Adriana Marie. 2010. “Influences on College Students Eating Habits.” Bachelor’s thesis, University of Arizona, Tucson. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/146055