Jonathon M. Seidl
The Blaze
10/12/2010
Federal officials are turning to psychology in a new approach to get kids to choose healthier foods in the school lunch line.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today it is giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to use marketing tricks to encourage kids to pick fruits and veggies over cookies and french fries.
Some of the ideas include hiding chocolate milk behind plain milk, putting the salad bar near checkout, placing fruit in pretty baskets and accepting only cash as payment for desserts.
Another idea suggests using pre-paid cards that only allows students to purchase healthy options from the school cafeteria.
Studies by Cornell University researchers have found these tactics work, the Associated Press reports, and Cornell will start a new child nutrition center to test more of these methods.
According to a release on the DOA’s website, the Cornell-based research center will be called the Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs. The money will also fund 14 other research projects in Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Read the rest at The Blaze. So..tell us again, Parents…what’s your job…?
