Although research regarding disgust has increased enormously in the last decades, to date there is a lack of published research about the influence of food disgust on various food-related behaviours. Our study aimed to provide an understanding about the relationships between food disgust sensitivity and eating preferences (texture-based food rejection), habits (variety seeking), and behaviours (picky eating) as well as food waste frequency. Additionally, sociodemographic characteristics associated with food disgust sensitivity were examined. German-speaking Swiss adults (N = 1181) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Next to the Food Disgust Scale (FDS), the questionnaire included several established eating behaviour scales, such as the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire, a scale regarding seeking food variety and a food frequency questionnaire. In addition, food waste frequency was also assessed by self-report. Multiple regression analyses showed that with increasing age, food disgust sensitivity scores increased and women showed higher FDS scores than men. Moreover, while picky eating and the rejection of certain food textures were both positively associated with higher FDS scores, seeking variety in foods was negatively associated with food disgust sensitivity. Significant correlations between FDS scores and the frequency of consuming certain foods were observed (e.g. vegetables, seafood). Finally, people with higher FDS scores reported a higher frequency of wasting food than people with lower FDS scores. The results indicate that individual food disgust sensitivity plays a role in various food domains.

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New food technologies have a high potential to transform the current resource‐consuming food system to a more efficient and sustainable one, but public acceptance of new food technologies is rather low. Such an avoidance might be maintained by a deeply preserved risk avoidance system called disgust. In an online survey, participants (N = 313) received information about a variety of new food technology applications (i.e., genetically modified meat/fish, edible nanotechnology coating film, nanotechnology food box, artificial meat/milk, and a synthetic food additive). Every new food technology application was rated according to the respondent's willingness to eat (WTE) it (i.e., acceptance), risk, benefit, and disgust perceptions. Furthermore, food disgust sensitivity was measured using the Food Disgust Scale. Overall, the WTE both gene‐technology applications and meat coated with an edible nanotechnology film were low and disgust responses toward all three applications were high. In full mediation models, food disgust sensitivity predicted the disgust response toward each new food technology application, which in turn influenced WTE them. Effects of disgust responses on the WTE a synthetic food additive were highest for and lowest for the edible nanotechnology coating film compared to the other technologies. Results indicate that direct disgust responses influence acceptance and risk and benefit perceptions of new food technologies. Beyond the discussion of this study, implications for future research and strategies to increase acceptance of new food technologies are discussed.

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