Vegetable preferences change throughout the lifespan: a comparison between early and mid-to-late elderly

Preferences for vegetables change with age; however, whether these changes are lifelong is uncertain. The present study conducted an online survey to compare age-related changes in preferences for vegetables between the early elderly aged <70 years and mid-to-late elderly aged ≥70 years. Participants initially selected vegetables for which preferences had changed with age from the list. For each vegetable, participants evaluated their previous and current preferences and answered the perceptual attributes that influenced their preferences. To comprehensively characterize age-related changes in preference, responses were categorized and compared among patterns. In addition, to elaborate on changes in preferences in old age, responses were compared between the early and mid-to-late elderly groups. Although a decrease in preference occurred to a similar degree between age groups, an increase in preference was more likely to occur in the mid-to-late elderly group than in the early elderly group. In addition, dominant perceptual attributes influencing increased preference were identified more frequently in the mid-to-late elderly group than in the early elderly group, but no dominant perceptual attributes influencing decreased preference were identified in either age group. These results suggest that preferences for vegetables and the dominant perceptual attributes influencing those preferences continue to change throughout life.