Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and University of Yale have found that there exists a food bias in early and middle childhood, with kids rating foods which they perceive as ‘natural’ higher in both desirability and safety.
Such views are believed to stem from parental habits observed in early life, when adult eating patterns are witnessed and mimicked by children, leading to them adopting similar likes, dislikes and beliefs around food.
To unpick children’s attitudes towards ‘naturalness’, Scottish and American researchers examined food preferences of 374 adults and kids in the US. Participants were presented with apples and orange juice, and made aware of their origins and production methods. 137 children under ten were shown three apples – one from a farm, one made in a lab and one grown on a tree inside a lab. Statistical models and questionnaires were used to assess the preferences of each child in terms of perceived tastiness and safety. A comparison study was done with adults, to draw comparison between the age groups.
The researchers found that apples believed to have been grown in nature took the lead, over those grown or created in a lab environment. When asked about the reasons for their preferences, children were more likely to cite freshness, sunlight and the outdoors as contributing factors, while adults were more likely to cite ‘naturalness’.
It was also found that between four different types of orange juice – one described as ‘squeezed on a farm’; one with no information; one which claimed to have had chemicals ‘removed’; and one described as having had chemicals added – participants ‘gravitated to the more natural option based on perceived taste, safety and desire to consume’.
Children aged five were found to respond similarly to those aged ten, leading researchers to conclude that age has ‘little effect’ on the preference outcome, and that the belief that natural foods are ‘good’ is generally established at a young age.
“Overall we provide evidence that … our tendency to prefer natural food is present in childhood,” comments Dr Matti Wilks, University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. “This research offers a first step towards understanding how these preferences are formed, including whether they are socially learned and what drives our tendency to prefer natural things.”
