The Influence of Sustainability on Identities and Seafood Consumption: Implications for Food Systems Education for Generation Z

Seafood is a vital source of nutrition yet many consumers in the United States have been exposed to competing discourse about the industry’s environmental impacts, influencing consumption habits. Generation Z, a generational cohort whose members value the sustainability of their purchasing decisions, may have unique opinions regarding sustainable seafood given their sustainability values. This qualitative study explored Generation Z undergraduate students’ experiences with seafood and how they perceive the role of seafood in feeding people while sustaining the future natural environment. Data were collected using 11 focus groups in undergraduate classrooms. Researchers conducted an emergent thematic analysis and sufficient interrater reliability was established. Themes identified based on participants’ experience with seafood included geographic location, experience fishing or with fishermen, and seafood and family, implying place attachment and family identity were intertwined with consumption behaviors. Themes identified based on participants’ perception of seafood’s role in feeding people included sustainability, regulations, limited seafood consumption, and limited knowledge, implying Generation Z’s emerging status as the sustainability generation. Results indicate educators should focus on how sustainability can be emphasized in the classroom with clear actions undergraduate Generation Z students can take to improve sustainability.