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16% percent of students using school canteens feels an innate refusal to try new foods, according to one of the conclusions of the doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia by Alejandra Rodríguez Tadeo.

This research, which has obtained excellent cum laude, has been busy analyzing the sensory acceptance of foods offered in school canteens and lifestyle associated with the Mediterranean style diet in schools in Murcia.

According to this thesis, sensory evaluation of food served in the cafeteria is adequate to determine the food preferences of service users, "but does not predict the consumed amount of vegetables and fruits."

The study has also served to check that, with some exceptions, menus are qualitatively correct, since most meet quality standards, "but could be improved with simple recommendations."

The author also outlines the work in its conclusions that "an important finding was that hedonic ratings which measures the area of ​​consumers preferences predicted the amount consumed of some dishes, especially salads, since there is a direct relation to waste" .

Moreover, in terms of food neophobia, the thesis points out that reaches 16 percent "no difference between gender, school year, parental origin, usage time dining and nutritional status."

The study also concluded that users with some degree of neophobia evaluate the worst five vegetables offered in the menus.

The dissertation was supervised by professors from the University of Murcia and Gaspar Ros María Jesús Periago.

Source: Universidad de Murcia