Getting Kids On Board With Plant-Based Foods

Our food system is a major driver of climate change — but shifting to a plant-based diet could help. To make that shift last, we need to know how the next generation feels about plant-based foods. Kids are especially important because they have fewer biases than adults, early exposure shapes lifelong preferences, and they influence what their families eat.

Despite this, we know little about how kids perceive plant-based foods, particularly outside of school settings. This study explored what Dutch children aged nine to 11 think about plant-based meat and dairy alternatives before and after hands-on cooking experiences.

Researchers worked with 37 children, most of whom regularly ate meat and dairy. The kids were recruited from four primary schools located in both urban and rural areas in the Netherlands. The study included three types of plant-based foods:

1. Substitutes such as nuts, legumes, and plant-based dairy products;
2. Replacements like tofu and tempeh; and
3. Analogues, namely plant-based products that mimic meat or dairy.

To capture honest reactions, the study used a series of creative, child-friendly methods.

• In the first stage, kids opened a surprise box of plant-based foods, recorded their first impressions by video, and completed creative tasks like designing plant-based meals and filling out a “friendship book” for their favorite foods. All this took place in the child’s home, and the art activities were photographed or videotaped by a caregiver.
• The second stage involved one-on-one interviews with the researchers at the child’s school, during which time they explained their artwork and shared their opinions. These interviews were audio recorded.
• For the third stage, kids created a plant-based pizza in small groups with their classmates. While the pizza was baked, they designed posters to promote their creation. Then they ate their pizza together while the researchers asked them questions about how it tasted. These sessions were audio recorded as well.

The researchers then analyzed the artwork and transcribed recordings for common themes that arose from the children.

Concept Was Unclear

Initially, several kids expressed some confusion around the concept of plant-based alternatives before the researchers helped clarify the difference. For instance, some spoke about eggs or goat milk as dairy alternatives, while others referred to foods like chicken nuggets as meat alternatives.

Taste Trumps All

Taste was kids’ top priority. They liked meat-like analogues such as salmon and chicken best at first, but after cooking and eating, they rated all options more equally — especially once they were part of a pizza.

Looks Matter (At First)

Kids preferred realistic analogues’ appearance over foods like tofu. But when part of a meal, appearance mattered less.

Familiarity Helps, But Curiosity Counts Too

Familiar foods got better reactions initially, but hands-on cooking made kids more curious and open to trying unfamiliar foods. Kids also expressed curiosity about dairy substitutes in the one-on-one interviews.

Animal Welfare Was Overlooked

Some linked meat and fish analogues to helping animals, but this rarely happened with nuts, tofu, or legumes — and animal welfare didn’t come up during cooking, when taste took over. Even fewer kids linked dairy substitutes to animal welfare.

Overall, meat and fish analogues and dairy substitutes gave positive impressions because they looked like (and, in some cases, were confused with) their animal-based counterparts — thus benefiting from perceived familiarity. However, once tasted, the meat and fish analogues in particular didn’t necessarily live up to expectations. In contrast, the fact that the substitutes and replacements didn’t mimic the appearance or taste of animal-based foods worked in their favor in the context of a meal.

Thus, to help children (and their families) embrace plant-based eating, animal advocates can:

• Get kids cooking. Hands-on cooking with plant-based foods builds curiosity and can turn unfamiliar ingredients into fun, familiar favorites.
• Serve plant-based foods in familiar ways. Putting them into well-loved dishes like pizza can reduce hesitation.
• Connect the dots to animal welfare. Reinforcing that plant-based foods help animals — especially at the dinner table and for less obvious options like tofu and legumes — could inspire more compassion-driven choices.

By listening to kids and giving them fun, positive experiences with plant-based foods, we can help shape a generation excited to eat sustainably.