9/15/2013
Children that have previous experience eating a fruit or vegetable are more likely than those who have not to recognize it and eat it again, according to the School Kids Access to Treats to Eat (SKATE) study. Researchers offered students in grades 4-6 fruit and vegetable snacks three times per week for six weeks to measure their familiarity and willingness to try 12 products.
Prior to the study, only 9% of students could recognize apricots, though 100% can identify baby carrots and red grapes. All students (100%) had eaten a red apple, but only 46% had tried apricots. Their willingness to try these items ranged from 30% for grape tomatoes to 96% for red grapes. No student (0%) was unwilling to try red apples, but 5% refused to eat cantaloupe.
During the study, the average consumption rate was 67%, with students less likely to eat baby carrots and grape tomatoes (50%) than they were kiwis and red grapes (100%). Although recognition improved during the study, it wasn’t directly linked to consumption. However, researchers found that even students unwilling to try a certain item were more often than not willing to eat at least a small portion.
SOURCE: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jessica Thomson, Epidemiologist, Study Author, 284 Knapp Hall, Louisiana State University AG Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803; 225-892-3662; jessica.thomson@ars.usda.gov; www.ars.usda.gov.
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