University of Minnesota study finds low nutritional value on campus

Nov. 14—Colleges may need to ramp up the healthy food choices they offer on campus, according to the lead author of a University of Minnesota study released last week.

Twin Cities college students who didn’t live on campus but purchased food there had diets similar to consumers who eat fast food on a regular basis, the study found.

Those students ate more fat and added sugar and skipped meals more often than their peers, according to the study.

Jennifer Pelletier, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student in the School of Public Health, said she thought the difference in diet was due to the kinds of food available on college campuses.