Fruits and Vegetables Liking among European Elderly, according to Food Preferences, Attitudes towards food and DependencyM. Mingioni1, E. Mehinagic1, L. Laguna2, A. Sarkar2, G. Artigas3, V. Vanwymelbeke4, T. Pirttijärvi5, J. Chen6, E. Järvenpää7,H. Kautola5, T. Mäenpää5, R. Tahvonen7, I.Grabska-Kobylecka8, I. Maitre1

(1) LUNAM Université, SFR 4207 QUASAV, Groupe ESA, UPSP GRAPPE, Angers, France ; (2) School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK ; (3) Emporhotel, Palamós, Spain ; (4) CHU, Service de Médecine Interne Gériatrie Champmaillot, Dijon, France ; (5) Häme University of Applied Sciences, Hämeenlinna, Finland ; (6) School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China ; (7) Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland ; (8) UMED, Medical University of Łódź, Poland

As the population ages and dependency for food-related activities increases, it becomes crucial to better understand food expectations of elderly consumers to develop and propose adapted products. Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are generally more consumed by elderly people(1, 2) compared to younger adults. However, few studies have investigated elderly people’s F&V liking, taking into account their dependency and countries’ specificities. The present study aims to identify the liking for F&V, depending on the country of residence, levels of dependency, eating styles and food selectivity.

This study shows the interest of tools exploring preferences of elderly people. Our results highlighted differences in elderly people’s liking towards foods, fruits and vegetables. These results can be used as a support to improve products and propose a relevant food offer to the elderly. In a context of malnutrition, our results could help food industries to choose the adapted fruit/vegetable matrix for nutrient and protein fortified products. Finally, tailoring to elderly people’s expectations is important to enable adequate maintenance of their appetite and pleasure while eating.

References: (1) Billson, H., Pryer, J. A., & Nichols, R. (1999). Variation in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in Britain. An analysis from the dietary and nutritional survey of British adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 53(12), 946–952. (2) Monceau, C., Blanche-Barbat, E., & Echampe, J. (2002). La consommation alimentaire depuis quarante ans : De plus en plus de produits élaborés. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/docs_ffc/ip846.pdf. (3) Roininen, K., Lähteenmäki, L., & Tuorila, H. (1999). Quantification of Consumer Attitudes to Health and Hedonic Characteristics of Foods. Appetite, 33(1), 71–88. (4) Maitre, I., Van Wymelbeke, V., Amand, M., Vigneau, E., Issanchou, S., & Sulmont-Rossé, C. (2014). Food pickiness in the elderly: Relationship with dependency and malnutrition. Food Quality and Preference, 32, 145–151. (5) Maitre, I., Amand, M., Cariou, V., Van Wymelbeke, V., Sulmont-Rossé, C., & Vigneau, E. (2012). Tell me what you are eating, I will tell you who you are: the different eater styles among the elderly population. 5. European Conference on Sensory Consumer Science of Foods and Beverages. A Sense of Inspiration. Bern, Switzerland.

- 405 elderly people, from 65 to 98 years old (mean age: 82.4) in 5 countries: Finland, France, Poland, Spain and the UK

- 3 categories of food dependency: (1) living at home, with help for food purchasing; (2) living at home, with help for food purchasing and meal preparation and/or meals-on-wheels ; (3) living in nursing homes (all activities relative to food are delegated)

- Used questionnaires: + Attitudes towards food (HTAS)3 + F&V selectivity (76-item questionnaire, inspired from Maitre et al., 2014)4 + Eating styles (general food habits and preferences)5 + Liking for different cooking modes for vegetables (5-point linking scale)

F&V were globally appreciated. However, elderly people’s selectivity towards F&V was very variable. The most selective participants declared disliking up to 31 vegetables among 42 and up to 28 fruits among 34. As shown in Figure 1, more participants declared disliking kiwi, mango, pomelo, spinach in salad, fennel and aubergine. Figure 1 also shows the consensual products (blue bars).

F&V selectivity was significantly influenced by country (p<0.001) and the interaction between dependency and the country (p=0.01); but not by gender nor age (p>0.05)

All methods of preparing vegetables were globally well appreciated: mean liking scores from 3.9 (steam) to 4.5 (soup) out of 5. Despite the category and country variations, plain boiled vegetables and vegetable soups were consensually well appreciated (mean liking scores higher than 4.3/5). Figures 2a and 2b show liking variations within dependency categories and countries.

Figure 1: Fruits and vegetables selectivity (percentages of participants disliking items). Blue bars indicate consensual F&V (disliked by less than 10% of the participants in each country)

Figure 2a: Mean liking scores for cooking modes by category Figure 2b: Mean liking scores for cooking modes by country

Fruit selectivity Vegetable selectivity

Style 1 (n=145): “No dessert nor fruit”

Style 2 (n=121): “Fruit lovers and no alcohol”

Style 3 (n=126): “Steam cooked vegetables, desserts and no seasoning”

30% of men. All categories. Participants drank alcohol more frequently during meals, liked ready-to-eat dishes, deli products and butter cooking. They did not really like fruits, vegetables, rarely seasoned their meals (spices, herbs) and could easily do without a dessert. They were less interested by health aspects (HTAS: 2.4/4) and natural aspects of foods (HTAS: 2.5/4).

50% from category 1. Participants liked fruits (fresh, purées), vegetable soups (with pieces), oil cooking, seasoned their meals. They did not like ready-to-eat dishes, deli products and vegetable purées. They rarely drank alcohol during meal, rarely eat sugar and did not need a dessert. They were more interested by health aspects (3.0/4) and natural aspects in foods (HTAS: 2.9/4).

39% from category 3. Participants were very fond of desserts and steam cooked vegetables. They preferred oil cooking, enjoyed fruits, soups and vegetable purées. They considered themselves as meat lovers. They did not like ready-to-eat dishes, rarely seasoned their meals (salt, spices, herbs). They declared to eat more soup, compared to participants from the 2 other styles. No difference in HTAS scores.

Introduction

Conclusion

Material & Methods: A European survey

Food habits and preferences: 3 eating styles

Selectivity: Which F&V were not appreciated?

How to prepare vegetables? Liked cooking modes

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

PeachPlum

ApplePeer

StrawberryOrange

ClementineRaspberryMandarin

BananaApricot

NectarineCherry

PineappleRedcurrant

HazelnutBlueberryFruit pies

NutAlmondMelon

Cake with fruitsBlackberry

Orange juiceBlack currantWatermelon

Apple juiceFruit compotes

Quince jellyChestnut

Exotic fruit juicePomeloMango

Kiwi

% of participants disliking fruits

Liked fruits

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

PotatoesParsley

Green peasRaw lettuce

Green cabbageRaw tomato (in salads)

CauliflowerOnion

Cooked carrotsCultivated mushroom

Green beansGrated Raw carrots

Cooked tomatoWild mushrooms

Cooked red beetrootEndive

BroccoliCucumbers

CeleriacLeeksGarlic

RadishAsparagus

Sweet potatoDried beansCourgettes

Cooked spinachBrussels sprouts

Broad beanSweet pepper

SorrelAvocadoPumpkinChickpea

ChicoryTurnip

SweetcornLentils

ArtichokeAubergine

FennelSpinach in salad

% of participants disliking vegetables

Liked vegetables

by more than 90% ofthe interviewed elderly

by more than 90% ofthe interviewed elderly

The 3 eating styles were obtained by hierarchical cluster analysis (euclidean distances, Ward criterion) and consolidated by K-means algorithm.

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Contact: m.mingioni@groupe-esa.com