Food Neophobia

Food neophobia is the fear of eating new or unfamiliar foods, sometimes referred to informally as cibophobia. It is especially common among toddlers and young children, though people continue to experience it to varying degrees throughout life. Genetics account for roughly two-thirds of the variation in food neophobia between individuals, and psychosocial factors also contribute: children observe and often copy their parents' own eating patterns, and heightened sensitivity to bitter tastes, sometimes linked to middle-ear infections or being a supertaster, can increase the tendency. The trait appears to be evolutionarily protective, helping people avoid potentially poisonous foods, and is related to the broader omnivore's dilemma of balancing the benefits of dietary variety against the risks of trying something new. Pressuring or threatening a child rarely helps; more effective strategies include non-food rewards for tasting new items, parents modeling positive eating behavior, and repeated exposure, since a child may need as many as fifteen tries before accepting an unfamiliar food. Early exposure during weaning is a critical period for reducing later food rejection, and the condition typically diminishes with age.