11- to 13-Year-Old Children’s Rejection and Acceptance of Unfamiliar Food: The Role of Food Play and Animalness

**Background:** Childhood obesity affects 18% of children aged 5–19 globally and 18% of 9- to 13-year-olds in Denmark. Promoting healthy food behavior from childhood is critical, and schools are a recommended setting for food literacy interventions. Previous research has shown that tactile play and hands-on cooking can increase children's willingness to taste novel foods. This study builds on the rejection–acceptance continuum model and Rozin and Fallon's taxonomy of food rejection (distaste, danger, inappropriateness, disgust) and acceptance (good taste, beneficial, appropriate, transvalued).

**Methods:** Eight fifth- and sixth-grade classes from four Danish schools participated (n = 129; 57 boys, 72 girls). Classes were divided into two groups: animal group (AG; quail) and nonanimal group (NAG; bladderwrack). Each group was further subdivided into food print (FP) and no food print (NFP) subgroups. The food printing exercise was adapted from the Japanese Gyotaku technique using squid ink. The animal group washed and deboned quail to make roasted quail stuffed with apples, cinnamon, and butter. The nonanimal group washed bladderwrack to make pasta with bladderwrack pesto and bladderwrack chips. Data were collected through participant observation and situational photography in October 2021. Applied thematic analysis (ATA) was used, resulting in two metathemes (rejection and acceptance), seven themes (inappropriate, disgust, distaste, curiosity, person/pet, familiarity, liking), and thirteen subthemes.

**Key Results:** Regarding tactile exercise: The NFP groups displayed disgust-related rejection (contamination fear) during preparation/cooking, while FP groups displayed inappropriateness-related rejection. FP groups exhibited more playful and exploratory behavior. For the animal group: Rejection was driven by inappropriateness (feeling sorry for the quail, animalness) and disgust (contamination from waste products, sound of cutting bones). Children personified quails (giving names like 'Jens' and 'Birgitte', making up stories). Acceptance was driven by curiosity, familiarity (tastes like chicken), and liking. For the nonanimal group: Rejection was driven by slimy texture, disgust (contamination fear), distaste (bad smell and taste of chips), and inappropriateness (bladderwrack 'not being food'). Bladders were removed due to perceived contamination. Acceptance was driven by curiosity and familiarity (references to sushi, pesto). Most children in both groups tasted the cooked dishes except bladderwrack chips, which were widely disliked. The food print group was faster and better at deboning quail than the no food print group.

**Clinical Implications:** The findings suggest that incorporating tactile exercises in cooking classes can shift children's rejection responses from disgust to inappropriateness, which may be more amenable to reduction through exposure and familiarity. Schools are a viable arena for promoting food literacy and healthy food behavior even with unfamiliar ingredients, as acceptance is ultimately possible despite initial rejection. This supports recommendations for school-based programs that include hands-on cooking activities to reduce childhood obesity risk and promote lifelong healthy eating habits. The study also highlights that children perceive and react differently to animal vs. nonanimal unfamiliar foods, which should be considered when designing food education interventions.