Project Investigators: Shelbie Taylor, Chiara Cecchini, Andoeni Ruezga, Virginia Cipollina

Project Sponsor: Dr. Jan English-Lueck

This project was done in partnership with Future Food Institute, an Italian and global-minded non-profit organization concerned with food sustainability and innovation. In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this project was proposed to investigate how Gen Z and Millennials’ food purchasing habit might be impacted. This study involved interviewing a wide variety of participants across Europe and the United States, including SJSU graduate and undergraduate students about their “new normal.” Participants shared their stories about how COVID-19 has impacted their daily lives – including how lockdown measures affect their mental, physical, and emotional health, financial well-being, and their relationships and community ties. The researchers and participants also discussed how their eating and food acquisition habits have changed over the course of quarantine. These shifts in food habits can provide the Future Food Network with insights for improved sustainability practices for food providers and initiatives to reduce food waste on a global scale.