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To kids, vegetables with names like Power Punch Broccoli and X-Ray Vision Carrots are easier to swallow, a scientific study by Cornell University shows.
Researchers studied how using attractive names would influence elementary-aged children’s consumption of vegetables, according to a statement from the school.
In the first study, plain old carrots were transformed into “X-ray Vision Carrots” and 147 students ranging from 8-11 years old tasted the foods.
They found that by naming carrots “X-ray vision carrots,” 66 percent of the carrots were eaten, far greater than the 32 percent eaten when labeled “Food of the Day.” Only, 35 percent were eaten when unnamed.
“This research suggests that schools have a low-cost or even no-cost solution to induce children to consume more nutritious foods,” said Brian Wansink, lead author of the study and professor of marketing at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell.
His co-authors are Cornell associate professor of marketing David Just, Collin Payne of New Mexico State University, and student Matthew Klinger.
“These results demonstrate that using attractive names for healthy foods increases kid’s selection and consumption of these foods and that an attractive name intervention is robust, effective and scalable at little or no cost,” Wansink said. “This research also confirms that using attractive names to make foods sound more appealing works on individuals across all age levels.”
Here's what I think about that...
While I am all for encouraging kids to eat their vegetables, I question the name they chose. Who wouldn’t try a food that has a name implying you might gain super powers if you eat it? Couldn’t hurt, right?
And what happens when the child eats the carrots but can’t see through walls?
