“What's for dinner?” understanding family food decision-making and wishes of children and their caregivers for plant-based alternatives in family main meals

Children are recognized as drivers of change for a sustainable future, beginning with their choices and actions at the dinner table. Therefore, plant-based food should appeal to children to empower them to encourage the family to choose plant-based alternatives during family meals. The current study aimed to investigate both the perspective of children (9- to 11-year-old) and their caregivers on family food decision-making, focusing on the transition to plant-based alternatives within the family.

To gain insight into caregivers' perspectives, 36 caregivers participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews using self-taken photos of their dinner meals to guide the discussions. To understand children's perspectives, 37 children engaged in creative tasks with a design probe box, followed by a semi-structured qualitative interview.

Most caregivers were willing to incorporate plant-based alternatives into their family main meals, either for the entire household or specifically for their child. Addressing children's and caregivers' perception is crucial in the transition to plant-based alternatives to ensure preferences of all family members are met. Governmental institutions and food companies can leverage these research findings to guide the development of appealing plant-based alternatives and create evidence-based consumer behaviour change programs, focusing on meal inspiration and healthiness, ensuring seamless integration into everyday eating habits.