The Food Preference and Food Meaning Among Students of Mabini High School

Abstract

Seventy Junior and Senior students of a private High School in Barangay Janopol Oriental, Tanauan, Batangas were surveyed by means of a three part questionnaire, to determine their specific snack food and drink preferences as well as the food meaning they associated with these snack foods and drinks. Results of the study indicate that there is a difference between the food preference of male and female students. In general, males like variety of snack foods that were filing or food that can satisfy their hunger, while on the other hand females liked foods that are well prepared and foods that are low in calorie contents. Both male and female students, preferred soft drink as their most liked snack drinks while they both dislike lumpiang toge because of its vegetable content, maruya and waffle because this is unfamiliar to them, and tea and coffee were also dislike. Results also show that reasons in liking and disliking snack foods and drinks of the students are similar. The reason for liking snack foods and drinks includes taste, nutritive content, cost and availability, and certain beliefs and perception while the reasons in disliking snack foods and drinks are taste, nutritive value, cost and availability, and effects on health especially on the issue of cleanliness. The meaning associated with snack foods and drinks didn’t affect the choice of foods of both the male and female students. But a small number of male students preferred food associated with being masculine while on the other hand some female students like food that are associated with being feminine.