Newsletter
Contact
This project uses a series of field experiments in daycare centers to determine how small changes in the way snacks and meals are presented to children, such as pairing foods with attractive names, icons and/or cartoon characters, will change their intake. The study will examine how salience (awareness) and expectations influence the food choices and attitudes of 3-5 year old children, as well as what types of changes might be most effective and easily adopted by day care providers. This study targets multiracial/ethnic preschool-age children in community day care settings.
Start Date: September 2007
ID #: 63148
Principal Investigator: Brian Wansink, PhD, MA
Co-Principal Investigator: David Just, PhD, MS
Organization: Cornell University
Funding Round: Round 2
Keywords: Community setting, Food service, Fruits and vegetables, Head Start, Snacks
Focus Areas: Early Childhood, Food Marketing
Resource Type: Grant Summary
Race/Ethnicity: Multi-racial/ethnic
State: New York
Age Group: Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Related Research
October 2012
Attractive Names Sustain Increased Vegetable Intake in Schools
This article describes two studies on how attractive naming can be implemented in schools to encourage healthier eating in a cost-effective and scalable way. In Study 1, researchers found that children ate more of their carrots when the carrots were named “X-ray Vision Carrots” than when they were named “Food of the Day” or unnamed. MoreMay 2026
A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines
Clear, evidence-based guidance on what foods and beverages children and adolescents should consume—and in what amounts—is foundational for promoting healthy growth and preventing diet-related chronic disease across the life course. Yet many children and adolescents in the US continue to have diets of poor nutritional quality. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), issued every 5 MoreApril 2026