THE CHALLENGES OF MAKING FOOD CHOICE IN A NEW COUNTRY

Abstract

The experiences of the gradually increasing numbers of international students have received growing interest from academics, practitioners, and policymakers around the world. This was majorly due to the contribution from international students’ fees and spending, and from the unique and subsequent changes in the culture and practice of this student group, making their well-being a focus. It was a fundamental challenge for the international students in a foreign country to locate and source for food choice that was familiar to them. Migration has become a major turning point to independent life for most international students in the new country. The experience was more challenging for them because it required their personal commitment to food provisioning responsibilities and a new food choice system alongside the stressful academic roles and responsibilities. Therefore, the context of international students’ challenges when making food choice received dedicated attention to this study. A qualitative method using grocery shopping observation and an in-depth interview was conducted among ten international students at a university in Northern Malaysia. The key findings indicated that the adjustment experience in the new country greatly influenced the food choice decision of the international students. The main contribution of this study relies on the application of the life course perspective in the study of food choice decision because of the consideration of migration as a turning point and transition of food choices. In contrast to other studies on food choice and dietary acculturation, this study provides a valuable lens using the life course perspective that gives a wider context on the stages in food choice decision-making process. The results of this study can provide a better understanding of food choice among international students during their transition in the new country.