Food Neophobia and Consumer Choices within Vietnamese Menu in a Polish Cohort Study

Abstract

One of the factors influencing consumer food choices is food neophobia (FN), described as a reluctance to try novel or unknown food products. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of FN on food choices in young Polish respondents through a web-based choice experiment with Vietnamese restaurant menu. The choice experiment was conducted using a Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method in a sample of 601 young adults, while using a developed Vietnamese restaurant menu. For the dishes, neophobic potential for a Polish population was defined, based on content of ingredients not typical for Polish diet. The FN was assessed using the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS) by Pliner and Hobden. The neophobic potential was the determinant of choice of dishes (p < 0.05). The participants characterized by a high FN level less commonly than others chosen dishes characterized by neophobic potential as: starter (Nem quõn—non-fried spring rolls with shrimps) (p = 0.0003), soup (Mién gà—soup with cellophane noodles and nam huong mushrooms) (p < 0.0001), main course (Phở xào bò—rice noodles with soy sauce and fish sauce) (p < 0.0001) and dessert (Chè thập cãm—dessert of golden gram, black eye beans, Azuki beans and tapioca) than other options (p = 0.0007). It was stated that FN in young respondents may reduce the frequency of choosing dishes containing unfamiliar ingredients and, as a result, it may cause lower diversity of consumed dishes. Taking into account that not properly balanced diets resulting from rejecting some types of products are becoming a growing problem, the FN should be taken into account in the general public health policy.

Food Neophobia, Familiarity with French Cuisine, Body Mass, and Restaurant Food Choices in a Sample of Polish Women

“…In the absence of such an association, respondents with a high level of food neophobia chose dishes with animal-based components, which was observed for starters and main courses, less often than those with a low level of food neophobia. The general association between food neophobia and the choice of dishes with components of non-neophobic potential (familiar to the studied sample) was also stated in previous studies [ 16 , 17 ]. Similarly, associations between food neophobia and the reduced intake of fruits and vegetables [ 42 ], as well as low diet variety, have been well established [ 43 ].…”

“…Previous studies have shown that food neophobia seemed to influence food choices in the Polish population, both in Italian restaurants (highly familiar to Polish consumers) [ 16 ] and Vietnamese restaurants (relatively unknown to Polish consumers) [ 17 ]. However, familiarity with a specific cuisine may be another important determinant of restaurant meal choice, as familiar food products are generally preferred over unfamiliar ones [ 18 ].…”

“…As described above, food neophobia is associated with the choice of food products, including the choice of dishes on a restaurant menu [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. At the same time, food neophobia has been linked with body mass, as stated for children in a systematic review and meta-analysis by Cole et al [ 20 ], but also for adults [ 21 ].…”

Neophobia—A Natural Developmental Stage or Feeding Difficulties for Children?

“…Eating behavior is determined by many factors, including biological, anthropological, economic, psychological, socio-cultural, and home-related factors, and their influences compete, reinforce, and interact with each other and are shaped by the individual situation of the family [ 20 ].…”

Neofobia alimentaria entre estudiantes universitarios: un estudio de la percepción social de la alimentación en tiempos de COVID-19

“…Los resultados guardan consistencia con otras investigaciones que han empleado la ENA en diferentes contextos en México (Salgado et al, 2016;Bernal-Gil et al, 2020) Otro aspecto a destacar es que el estudio fue llevado a cabo en tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19, lo que sugeriría que al menos en este sector de la población, la epidemia causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 no ha afectado significativamente en los niveles de miedo o rechazo de alimentos nuevos extraños entre algunos sectores de la población joven del país. Guzek et al (2021) reportaron también que algunos consumidores jóvenes presentaron bajos niveles de neofobia alimentaria en tiempos de COVID-19.…”