Experts emphasise that change doesn’t require battles at the dinner table. Instead, small, consistent shifts can make a meaningful difference:
- Focus on exposure, not consumption
Repeatedly seeing foods on the plate, without being forced to eat them, helps children build comfort over time. Research shows it can take 10-15 exposures before a child accepts a new food. - Avoid pressure or rewards
Forcing bites or offering dessert as a reward can increase anxiety and resistance. Calm repetition is more effective. - Model curiosity yourself
Children are more likely to try foods they see adults eating. Talking positively about taste, texture, or colour. For example: “this is crunchy” or “this smells fresh”, is more effective than persuasion or rewards. - Use neutral language
Talking about colour, crunch, or smell, rather than “healthy” or “good”, helps reduce emotional weight around eating. - Avoid labelling children as ‘picky’
Framing eating habits as fixed traits can increase concerns and avoidance. Experts recommend treating reluctance as a normal developmental stage influenced by routine and environment. - Serve one familiar food alongside something new
Offering one known “safe” food with new options reduces stress and makes experimentation feel safer. - Use gentle blending to build familiarity
For children who strongly resist visible fruits or vegetables, parents can introduce variety by blending or combining foods in familiar formats such as adding vegetables to mash, sauces, soups, pies, or smoothies. This helps build familiarity with flavours and nutrients while confidence and tolerance develop. - Let schools do some of the heavy lifting
When children encounter a wider range of foods regularly at school, parents may notice changes in willingness at home over time, even without direct encouragement.
“The aim isn’t to create adventurous eaters overnight,” added Elizabeth Knight, Head of Prep School at Wycliffe College “Progress often looks slow, but it’s cumulative and when children experience variety without pressure, both at home and at school, confidence builds. School meals are not just about nutrition; they’re daily opportunities to support wellbeing, inclusion, and food confidence.”
The findings point to a need to move away from blaming parents or children, and towards recognising school food as a powerful tool for wellbeing, equity, and long-term public health.