Science at UM [S04-ep02]: The food environment for students

This week in Science at UM Angélique Rodhain and Karine Garcia, researchers at MRM , talk to us about the food environment for students. Sara Cavaliere from theICGM , gives us a tour of the fuel cell and electrolysis platform, and Marie Pequignot, COO of Genopolys , presents the Mediterranean Night of Women Researchers. The program airs every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Divergence FM-93.9.

According to the latest survey by Fage, the leading student union, 20% of students do not eat enough and skip an average of 3.5 meals per week. Thirty-four percent of them believe they have an unbalanced diet, characterized by the consumption of fatty and sugary foods. Their age group is also the most affected by the rise in obesity. Covid brought food insecurity to the attention of the general public, prompting the development of initiatives such as the Crous's €1 meals, which have since been made permanent for students receiving grants. And yet this insecurity is nothing new.

Preparing this topic brought back memories of my student years. The tram rides to La Paillade to do my weekly shopping in what was, at the time, the only affordable supermarket available. The one belonging to my photographer friend, whose job was to immortalize the contents of students' refrigerators. Her photos took us from Alice's fridge, which revealed a diet consisting exclusively of spaghetti and olive oil, to the rancid smells emanating from Ivan's fridge, who was adept at scavenging supermarket trash cans, at the cost of a minor quarterly food poisoning. Then there was Caroline and her organic vegetable juices bought at full price at the Biocoop in the city center. Not to mention Yann, a brilliant student who was always in a hurry, eating ready-made meals or sandwiches bought on the go.

Despite the 20 years that have passed, these profiles are not so different from what we can read in our guests' study. Angélique Rodhain and Karine Garcia are both marketing researchers at Montpellier Management University. Last July, they published an article in the journal Research Applications in Marketing entitled Food accessibility: an approach based on the lived experience of students living away from home.

To go further:

In the second part of the program, we return to recharge our batteries at the Balard chemistry center with Sara Cavaliere. She gives us a tour of theICGM's fuel cell and electrolysis platform. Here, energy is converted and stored using hydrogen. These fuel cells are already used in some cars and could be extended to other areas of mobility such as air transport.

Finally, Marie Péquignot, Operations Director at Genopolys, presents the Mediterranean Night for Female Researchers, which will take place on Friday, May 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Lycée Joffre.

At UM Science, you have the program, so let's get started!

Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Production: Tom Chevalier

Listen to the program “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9


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