Parents, Products, and the Development of Preferences: Child Palate and Food Choice in an Obesogenic Environment

Food systems and the ways food products are formulated, packaged, and marketed contribute to obesogenic environments. The current research focuses on products informally referred to as junk food (foods high in sugar, fat, and salt) and how they function as a mechanism in developing taste preferences in children three to five years old. Across two studies, the authors examine how parents’ taste preferences, their lay theories of self-control, and their resulting decisions about foods to provide to their children are associated with their children’s taste preferences and consumption of healthy food. Using a parent survey, Study 1 examines how parent preferences and exposure to junk food contribute to the development of child food preferences. Study 2, which is based on a parent survey and observation of child meals out of home, confirms Study 1 findings. Furthermore, Study 2 shows how parental lay theories and parental decisions regarding junk food provided to a child are related to the child’s consumption of vegetables. Implications for food brands, policy, and parents are discussed.