Economic constraints on taste formation and the true cost of healthy eating
Open accessAbstract
This article shows how an interaction between economic constraints and children's taste preferences shapes low-income families' food decisions. According to studies of eating behavior, children often refuse unfamiliar foods 8 to 15 times before accepting them. Using 80 interviews and 41 grocery-shopping observations with 73 primary caregivers in the Boston area in 2013-2015, I find that many low-income respondents minimize the risk of food waste by purchasing what their children like--often calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods. High-income study participants, who have greater resources to withstand the cost of uneaten food, are more likely to repeatedly introduce foods that their children initially refuse. Several conditions moderate the relationship between children's taste aversion and respondents' risk aversion, including household-level food preferences, respondents' conceptions of adult authority, and children's experiences outside of the home. Low-income participants' risk aversion may affect children's taste acquisition and eating habits, with implications for socioeconomic disparities in diet quality. This article proposes that the cost of providing children a healthy diet may include the possible cost of foods that children waste as they acquire new tastes.
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Parents may hesitate to purchase food they think their child will not like.
“Yet because parents consider child preferences when making food purchases, they may hesitate to purchase food they think their child will not like, with low-income parents being especially hesitant to spend money on food they expect to be wasted [20–22].”
From Child and parent perspectives on healthier side dishes and beverages in restaurant kids’ meals: results from a national survey in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [20]
Parents consider child preferences when making food purchases.
“Yet because parents consider child preferences when making food purchases, they may hesitate to purchase food they think their child will not like, with low-income parents being especially hesitant to spend money on food they expect to be wasted [20–22].”
From Child and parent perspectives on healthier side dishes and beverages in restaurant kids’ meals: results from a national survey in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [20]
Low-income parents are especially hesitant to spend money on food they expect to be wasted.
“Yet because parents consider child preferences when making food purchases, they may hesitate to purchase food they think their child will not like, with low-income parents being especially hesitant to spend money on food they expect to be wasted [20–22].”
From Child and parent perspectives on healthier side dishes and beverages in restaurant kids’ meals: results from a national survey in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [20]
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- Authors
- Daniel, C.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Daniel, Caitlin
- Venue
- Social Science & Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-01
- Volume
- 148
- Pages
- 34-41
- ISSN
- 0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4698226
- OpenAlex
- W2178761945
- Cited by
- 231
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 16.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (8UL1TR000170-05)
- Harvard University
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE1144152)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- food waste, low-income households, food purchasing decisions, risk aversion, healthy eating, adult authority, grocery shopping, energy-dense foods
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Boston, Child, Child, Preschool, Choice Behavior, Diet, Feeding Behavior, Female, Food Preferences, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Parents, Socioeconomic Factors, Taste, Health Behavior, Qualitative Research, Health Status Disparities, Young Adult
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