Are children who prefer soft, lump-free foods more reluctant to try unfamiliar foods?

Details

Children completed an online questionnaire alongside a parent. Researchers assessed both children's and parents' food texture preferences, while parents also reported on their child's reluctance to try unfamiliar foods, responses to sensory input and food intake.

Children who preferred softer foods without pieces showed greater reluctance to try unfamiliar foods and greater sensitivity across all sensory domains assessed. This links texture preferences with a broader pattern of sensory responses, rather than establishing that texture alone explains food avoidance.

The researchers found no relationship between parents' and children's texture preferences. That does not establish that parents have no influence on children's eating more generally. The findings come from questionnaires in a sample of 70 children; they cannot establish cause and effect, and the abstract does not report how large the differences were.