Dive Summary:

• A recent study published in Food Quality and Preference found that cultural differences influence enjoyment of sweet and fatty foods.
• A survey of 1705 children aged 6 to 9 years old in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Hungary and Spain found that taste preferences were most correlated to cultural and age differences.
• The study found there was a 34% increase in sweet preference and a 29% increase in salt preference with every added year of age.
• The primary author of the study, Anne Lanfer of the Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen, Germany concluded: "This means that flavor preferences are influenced by cultural factors, but we also see that these tastes are developed in a similar way as children grow up."

From the article:

"... Children from different cultures prefer different levels of fat and sweetness in foods and drinks, suggests new research that calls into question the idea that all children are predisposed to fatty and sugary tastes. ..."