Abstract:

This paper reports on some preliminary findings derived from a European research project, including Portugal, Croatia and Turkey, aimed at implementing a social marketing strategy towards more sustainable food offers, in public higher education institutions (HEIs). The main product of such strategy, akin to the social marketing framework, is the adoption of the Mediterranean diet in public canteens, given its clear association with healthier food intakes and recent positioning as a strategic element in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The implementation of a social marketing strategy starts with the design of a stakeholders’ priority matrix that enables the precise identification of key stakeholders, given that their levels of influence and sometimes their conflicting interests and concerns, are quite different.

Based on a qualitative approach, this paper reports on findings retrieved from ten interviews with various stakeholders from the Portuguese context, namely, student federations, food service providers and HEIs social services. The research goals are: firstly, to ascertain pivotal stakeholders and explore their perceptions and opinions regarding stakeholders’ influence in the incorporation of the Mediterranean diet in university canteens, and secondly to design a priority matrix to identify key stakeholders and their levels of interest and influence. Results have allowed to reflect upon the different perceptions of the stakeholders interviewed, attributable to their different roles and concerns regarding the food offers in public HEIs canteens. Despite focusing on initial findings, this paper highlights the value of designing a stakeholder priority matrix in the strategic formulation of a social marketing strategy aimed at changing eating habits in higher education, towards healthier options as the Mediterranean diet.

Keywords:

Sustainable food options, social marketing, priority matrix¸ Higher education institutions.