Most people eat what does not taste

When choosing daily food, it's not just taste that matters

03/10/2011

Food is almost abundant in the western industrial nations. A few decades ago people had to spend at least 60 percent of their household income on food, but today it is just 10 percent on average. Nevertheless, most people consume foods that they do not like at all.

Scientists at the Heidelberg Dr. Ing. Rainer Wild Foundation presented first results of their representative taste research study. In their research they explored the question of whether people eat things they do not really like. Already the first evaluation results showed that 81 percent of the surveyed Germans consume foods that do not correspond to their individual tastes. In the further course it became clear that the taste is only one evaluation criterion of many to select food for eating.

Every day, millions of consumers wonder what they eat for lunch, dinner, school, or work today. During the day most of them are out of the house due to their work or school activities. When people are asked why they eat, most people say that taste plays a crucial role. Therefore, one could actually assume that most consumers consume only what they really taste. But Dr. Lisa Hahn and Karolin Höhl from Dr. Ing. Rainer Wild Foundation made an amazing finding based on the survey results. Accordingly, four out of every five consumers in everyday life do not eat what corresponds to their personal taste.

38 percent said they do not like the foods they eat every day. 28 percent said that the food in the preparation are not satisfactory and for 19 percent, the dishes are not seasoned to their individual taste. This raises the question of why people eat what they do not seem to like.

Prepared dishes, which did not taste the study participants, came mostly from restaurants, fast food, fast food restaurants or canteens. The taste researchers were particularly surprised that 73 percent continued to eat, although they did not like the superior food. Two out of five of the participants said that they ate the food altogether even though they did not taste it. Did the hunger drive the food in or did not the respondents have time for the special selection of food? The survey showed that many people eat meals that they did not like at all. „The good taste may be important“, explained Dr. Gesa Schönberger, Managing Director of the Foundation for Healthy Eating, „however, it is often not crucial.“ Why be consumed in a society as prosperous as ours, food that does not taste good, will be one of the most interesting questions later in the study. „We want to discover the true relevance of taste and thus get closer to our food in everyday life“ explained Schönberger.

The social conditions allow a high-quality selection of healthy and valuable food that tastes good. Nevertheless, obesity and metabolic diseases such as diabetes are steadily increasing. The studies will answer some of the open questions in the future. The first findings were presented at the 15th Heidelberg Nutrition Forum at the end of September. (Sb)

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Picture: Thorsten Freyer