Do students and food service managers at Northern Illinois University have similar perceptions of foods offered in the dining halls

In the college food service setting, food service managers have a unique opportunity to impact the health of the college students by providing them with healthy foods that they will perceive as healthy and ultimately purchase more often. Developing nutrition interventions in the college setting to promote healthier diets could be a step towards combating the increasing occurrence of chronic disease in the United States. This is challenging for food service professionals as the healthy food is often left untouched by the students, which ultimately leads to higher food costs. Understanding the perceptions students and food service managers have of the food served in the dining halls could aid in developing successful programs to educate students on how to make healthy choices in the dining halls.;This study surveyed students (n=211) eating in a dining hall regarding their perception of the food served there. The food service managers (n=15) working in these residence halls were also surveyed regarding the same information. The students and food service managers were provided with a list of foods served in the residence halls and asked to rank the food according to how they perceived it, in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition of a healthy food. The students and food service managers were also asked to provide some demographic information, and to indicate what nutrition information they used when choosing foods.;The results did not definitively prove if the students and food service managers had different perceptions of the food. However, the results implied that providing nutrition information at point of service (POS) may not be an effective way to educate students about their food choices. These results re-emphasize the need for creative nutrition interventions in the residence halls, specifically targeting students to promote healthy eating habits.