We conducted a cooking training experience program that incorporated menu preparations, shopping, cooking, and sharing, and examined its effects on male university students. The results indicated that the frequency of cooking practice in the participants’ homes increased as the number of cooking practices increased, and this tendency continued even at about 6 months after the end of the program. It is thought that the introduction of co-eating, which gave participants the opportunity to cook for and share with another person, fostered a sense of usefulness, leading to improved self-esteem. In regard to menu preparation and shopping, the participants were able to experience a series of cooking-related processes, leading to the practice of cooking in real life. In addition, it was recognized that the participants who had daily cooking experience before the practice fostered awareness of environmental considerations such as reduced food loss. These findings indicate the usefulness of our proposed dietary education program for developing practical skills in regard to dietary food habits among the younger generation.

With the aim of obtaining basic data for establishing a dietary education curriculum, we analyzed findings from the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education’s “Dietary Education Implementation Survey”. The results revealed that in elementary schools, dietary education by nutrition teachers was performed mainly in “special activities” and “living environment studies” classes for 1st and 2nd graders, “special activities” for 3rd and 4th graders, and “home economics” for 5th and 6th graders. Compared to other graders, 5th grader received more guidance from nutrition teachers. Moreover, there were more “home economics” and “special activities” than other subjects. Food education focused on the topics of “importance of food”, “mental and physical health”, and “ability to select foods”. Guidance on “importance of food” and “ability to select foods” was more commonly provided to 5th and 6th graders. In junior high schools, substantial guidance was provided in “technology and home economics”, and the food education curriculum included “the importance of food”, “mental and physical health” and “ability to select foods”. These results suggest that dietary education by nutrition teachers is determined to some extent based on the subject and the food education content.

A self-administered questionnaire survey concerning food waste was conducted among students of national registered dietitian programs at six universities in Osaka Prefecture, and responses were received from 954 students (90.9% response rate). The results showed that 84.2% of the respondents were aware of food waste and that 26.8% were aware of SDGs, and awareness of both tended to increase as years of study increased. Those who often/sometimes directly dispose of food at home accounted for 35.7% of the respondents, and the most commonly disposed of foods were vegetables (47.8%), breads (32.2%), and milk and dairy products (22.4%). As years of study increased, awareness of food waste increased, but this did not lead to much change in terms of behaviors. In addition, living alone was a significant factor influencing direct disposal at home. For those living alone, the cooking frequency significantly decreased as the years of study increased.

There are various differences in situations among university students, such as whether they live alone or with family and whether they cook or not. Given this, it is necessary to disseminate information and raise awareness such that it reaches younger generations by providing concrete examples of knowledge and actions that are easy to put into practice based on the actual situation of each university student, not only their studies at university but also including the use of SNS.