Food neophobia modulates importance of food choice motives: Replication, extension, and behavioural validation

The association between food neophobia, bi-dimensional aspects of orthorexia, and anxiety among vegetarians and omnivores

Vegetarianism is a growing trend, and food neophobia and orthorexia nervosa could act as barriers to achieving a healthy vegetarian diet. The aim of this study is to compare the levels of food neophobia, anxiety, and both healthy and pathological aspects of orthorexia among vegetarians and omnivores. Additionally, the study aims to identify the relationships between food neophobia, anxiety, and orthorexia. In this cross-sectional online survey, a total of 324 vegetarian and 455 omnivores adults participated. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related characteristics, the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 Scale. Vegetarians exhibited lower FNS scores (p < 0.001) and had higher healthy orthorexic scores (p < 0.001) than omnivores. There were no differences between groups for anxiety scores (p > 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that higher food neophobia (OR: 0.953, 95% CI:0.937-0.968) and TOS-OrNe scores (OR: 0.946, 95% CI: 0.901-0.993) were associated with lower odds of following a vegetarian diet. Conversely, higher TOS-HeOr scores (OR: 1.135, 95% CI:1.096-1.176) were linked to an increased likelihood of adopting a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, both FNS and GAD-7 scores showed negative correlations with TOS-HeOR (r = -0.124, p < 0.001 and r = -0.129 p < 0.001, respectively), and positive correlations with TOS-OrNe (r = 0.106, p < 0.001 and r = 0.146, p < 0.001). In conclusion, vegetarians exhibit lower levels of food neophobia and a greater interest in healthy eating than omnivores. Additionally, the distinct correlation between two dimensions of orthorexia and food neophobia and anxiety provides support for the two-dimensional nature of orthorexia.

Food Behaviour and Metabolic Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Relationship to Glycaemic Control

Diet is an essential element of treating and managing type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, limited research has examined food behaviour in children and adolescents with T1D and their relationship to glycaemic control. This study evaluated food behaviour, metabolic characteristics and their impact on the glycaemic control of children and adolescents with T1D. Two hundred and fifty-eight participants with T1D (6-15 years, duration of diabetes >1 year) were recruited. Demographic, anthropometric and clinical data were collected. Questionnaires on food neophobia and food preferences were administered. The Child Food Questionnaire (CFQ) also assessed parental feeding practices. An analysis of food behaviour showed that food neophobia was inversely associated with the liking of vegetables, fruits, fish, sweets and carbohydrates. Moreover, by analysing parental feeding practices, an inverse association of "Pressure to eat", "Monitoring" and "Restriction" with liking for vegetables and carbohydrates emerged. Considering glycaemic control, increased food neophobia and the parent practices "Restriction", "Pressure to eat" and "Concern about weight" were found in participants with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) values >8.5%. Finally, higher body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol values were observed in subjects with HbA1c values >8.5%. These findings contribute to a better understanding of eating behaviour, metabolic status and their complex relationship with glycaemic control.

Consumers' Preferences and Attitudes towards Plant-Based Milk

Plant-based milk (PBM) has become increasingly popular due to its environmental sustainability, health benefits, ingredient abundance, and unique taste. This study aims to identify the main factors that affect consumer preferences and attitudes towards PBM, and to examine the effect of consumer attitudes including environmental awareness, health consciousness, and food neophobia on WTP. We use the double-bounded dichotomy choice (DBDC) method to calculate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for PBM. We find that the appearance, taste, nutritional value, and environmental benefits of PBM significantly increase consumers' WTP for it. Consumers with high environmental awareness are more likely to perceive PBM as environmentally friendly and are willing to pay a higher price for it. Consumers with high health consciousness tend to value the environmental benefits of PBM and prioritize purchase convenience, as it aligns with their health-conscious lifestyle, leading to a higher WTP for PBM. The results of our study can help design effective strategies to market plant-based milk and develop sustainable and healthy food systems.

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Food Neophobia Occurrence in Children: A Study Carried out in Italy

Food Neophobia (FN), defined as the reluctance to eat new or unfamiliar foods, mainly concerns fruit, vegetables, and legumes, typical of the Mediterranean Diet (MD). Considering these premises, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between FN and AMD in a sample of Italian children and their association with some socio-demographic factors and children's nutritional status. A sample of 288 children aged 3-11 years participated in an assessment carried out with a questionnaire evaluating FN and AMD, respectively, with the Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS) and the KIDMED test. Most of the sample showed an intermediate (67.3%) or high level of FN (18.1%), with high rates among 6-11-year-old children (63.9%) and especially in those who were the only child (50%). The AMD was mostly low (29.5%) or medium (54.8%) and reached lower levels among higher neophobic children (51.9%; p value < 0.05). The present results confirm the study hypothesis that FN is a driver of MD abandonment and shows the positive effects on children's eating habits and siblings. Finally, this study proves the relevance of adopting effective feeding strategies against FN to avoid its maintenance in adulthood and the detrimental effects on future overall health and well-being.

Dimensions of food-related wellbeing and their relative importance among New Zealand consumers: A quasi-replication and extension approach

Research into perceived wellbeing (WB) can improve understanding of consumer food choices and support development of strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable eating habits. In this research, using online studies, food-related WB was explored among New Zealand consumers. In a "quasi-replication" of Jaeger, Prescott, and Worch (2022), Study 1 uncovered word associations to different WB-related terms ('Sense of wellbeing,' 'Lack of wellbeing,' 'Feeling good,' 'Feeling bad/unhappy,' 'Satisfied with life,' and 'Dissatisfied with life') with 912 participants in a between-subjects design. The results confirmed the multidimensional nature of WB, and the need to consider positive and negative aspects of food-related WB, as well as differences linked to physical, emotional, and spiritual WB. Drawing on Study 1, 13 characteristics of food-related WB were identified, and in Study 2 their importance for feeling a 'Sense of wellbeing' and 'Satisfied with life' was determined with 1206 participants using a between-subjects design. In a further extension, Study 2 also adopted a product-specific perspective and explored the associations of, and importance, for 16 different foods and beverages to food-related WB. Based on Best-Worst Scaling and penalty/lift analysis, the four most important characteristics overall were 'Is good quality,' 'Is healthy,' 'Is fresh,' and 'Is tasty,' with the nuance that healthiness contributed most to feeling a 'Sense of wellbeing' while good quality contributed most to feeling 'Satisfied with life.' The associations to individual foods and beverages underscored that food-related WB is a complex construct arising from an overall evaluation of the different effects of foods (including physical health, social and spiritual aspects of food consumption) and their short-term effects on food-related behaviour. Contextual and individual differences in perceptions of WB in relation to food deserve further investigation.

Consumer Preference Segments for Plant-Based Foods: The Role of Product Category

A survey of willingness to consume (WTC) 5 types of plant-based (PB) food was conducted in USA, Australia, Singapore and India (n = 2494). In addition to WTC, emotional, conceptual and situational use characterizations were obtained. Results showed a number of distinct clusters of consumers with different patterns of WTC for PB foods within different food categories. A large group of consumers did not discriminate among PB foods across the various food categories. Six smaller, but distinct clusters of consumers had specific patterns of WTC across the examined food categories. In general, PB Milk and, to a much lesser extent, PB Cheese had highest WTC ratings. PB Fish had the lowest WTC, and two PB meat products had intermediate WTC. Emotional, conceptual and situational use characterizations exerted significant lifts/penalties on WTC. No penalty or lifts were imparted on WTC by the situational use of ‘moving my diet in a sustainable direction’, whereas uses related to ‘when I want something I like’ and ‘when I want something healthy’ generally imparted WTC lifts across clusters and food categories. The importance of this research for the study of PB foods is its demonstration that consumers are not monolithic in their willingness to consume these foods and that WTC is often a function of the food category of the PB food.

Food Bloggers on the Twitter Social Network: Yummy, Healthy, Homemade, and Vegan Food

Many people now consider social networking to be an indispensable tool. There are now over 4.6 billion social media users, who leave a digital footprint through their online interactions. These big data provide enormous research potential for identifying the social and cultural aspects of the monitored topic. Moreover, the use of social media platforms has been found to have an impact on eating habits. The analysis of these social networks is thus essential to understand the factors that influence eating habits. To this aim, we identified the main topics associated with food bloggers on Twitter using the Social Media Analysis based on the Hashtag Research Framework of 686,450 Tweets captured from 171,243 unique users from 1 January 2017 to 30 May 2022. Based on the analysis of communication on Twitter, the most communicated hashtags in the food blogger sphere were as follows: #yummy, #healthy, #homemade, and #vegan. From the point of view of communities, three major clusters were identified, including (1) healthy lifestyle, (2) home-made food, and (3) fast food, and two minor clusters were identified, namely, (4) breakfast and brunch and (5) food traveling.

Variations in the Strength of Association between Food Neophobia and Food and Beverage Acceptability: A Data-Driven Exploratory Study of an Arousal Hypothesis

The negative impact of food neophobia (FN) on food and beverage (F&B) liking extends beyond foods and beverages that are novel. In addition, F&Bs that are high in flavour intensity, perceived as dangerous, or have connections to other cultures are likely to elicit rejection by those high in FN. Each of these factors have been established as producing increased arousal, potentially to an unpleasant degree. The aim of this study was to explore the hypothesis that increased arousal underlies all causes of rejection due to FN. To do this, we analysed and interpreted existing data based on online surveys that measured FN and liking for a broad range of F&B names from 8906 adult consumers in the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Denmark. Negative associations between FN and liking of varying strengths were evident for 90% of the F&Bs. Consistent with the arousal hypothesis, F&Bs (a) with high flavour intensity, whether produced by chilli, other spices, or flavours, (b) from other cultures, (c) often perceived as dangerous, or (d) that were novel or had novel ingredients showed the strongest negative relationships between FN and liking. Conversely, F&Bs whose liking scores were only very weakly related to FN had low arousal characteristics: high familiarity, sweetness, mild flavours, strong connections to national food cultures, or some combination of these factors. Since this study was exploratory and conducted on existing data, there was no direct measure of arousal, but this is recommended for future, stronger tests of this arousal hypothesis.