Go/No-Go (GNG) training can influence food evaluations, yet the processes underlying these effects remain debated. Associative accounts propose that evaluative change emerges through repeated stimulus-response learning, whereas inferential accounts emphasise the evaluative meaning individuals derive from stimulus-response relations. This research examined whether instructions about stimulus-response contingencies can influence food evaluations before the corresponding responses are performed. Across two preregistered studies, participants received either detailed contingency instructions or general task instructions. In both conditions, go responses were framed as selecting a food and no-go responses as rejecting a food. The detailed instructions additionally specified which food category was associated with each response. Detailed instructions also framed go responses as selecting a food and no-go responses as rejecting a food. Food evaluations were assessed after instruction but before training (T1), and after GNG training (T2). Study 1 (n = 54) used familiar food stimuli, whereas Study 2 (n = 63) used novel, unfamiliar food stimuli. At T1, evaluations of go- and no-go-associated foods did not differ between instruction conditions in either study. Following GNG training, go-associated stimuli were evaluated more positively in both studies, whereas no-go devaluation was observed for familiar foods in Study 1 but not overall for unfamiliar foods in Study 2. Exploratory analyses in Study 2 indicated stronger no-go devaluation among participants higher in trait impulsivity. These findings suggest that providing information about stimulus-response contingencies before training was not reflected in differences in food evaluations. The observed changes in evaluations following training suggest that the evaluative impact of these stimulus-response assignments may depend in part on how responses are experienced and interpreted during task performance, although this possibility requires further investigation.

Women generally consume a healthier diet than men; however, both fall short of dietary guidelines. Health behaviour theories are often applied in a gender-neutral manner, implicitly assuming that explanatory models operate similarly across groups. This conceptual replication tested the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model for dietary behaviour, originally evaluated in a female-dominant sample, in a male-dominant sample (N = 1358; 67% male). Using the same measurement battery and a closely aligned analytic approach, structural equation modelling indicated acceptable overall fit, with the COM-B model explaining 22% of the variance in diet quality. As in the original study, capability and opportunity were associated with behaviour indirectly through motivation, which was the strongest predictor of diet quality. At the indicator level, the male-dominant model retained action control and habits (capability), descriptive norms and the home food environment (opportunity), and self-efficacy, intentions, affective attitudes and perceived behavioural control (motivation), whereas identity, decision-making barriers, instrumental attitudes and the shopping environment indicator were not retained during trimming. These differences, relative to the female-dominant model, suggest potential variation in how COM-B constructs are operationalised across gender-dominant samples and should be treated as hypothesis-generating. Discriminant validity concerns (habits-action control; self-efficacy-intention) further indicated overlap between conceptually distinct constructs in the male-dominant sample. Overall, findings support the stability of the higher-order COM-B pathway while highlighting potential group differences in indicator contributions, with implications for measurement and population-sensitive intervention design.

The problematic use of digital technology is closely related to a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits; however, the underlying mechanisms of these associations are unclear. It is believed that problematic use of digital technology may increase motives for eating palatable foods through changes in the reward system and exposure to food cues in digital environments, and that this may be associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of palatable eating motives in the relationships between problematic digital technology use, body mass index (BMI), and Mediterranean lifestyle (MEDLIFE) among young adults. This cross-sectional study analyzed data obtained from 610 young adults. The data collection tools included Descriptive Information Form, Digital Addiction Scale (DAS), Palatable Eating Motives Scale (PEMS), BMI and MEDLIFE index. The mean age of participants was 21.6 ± 1.7 years. In the mediation model between DAS and BMI, the total (β:0.215, 95%CI:0.586; 1.237), direct (β:0.167, 95%CI:0.365; 1.051) and indirect effects of PEMS (β:0.048, 95%CI:0.074; 0.346) were all statistically significant. In the mediation model between DAS and MEDLIFE index, the total (β:-0.456, 95%CI:-2.212;-1.603), direct (β:-0.424, 95%CI:-2.101;-1.451) and indirect effects of PEMS (β:-0.032, 95%CI:-0.251;-0.024) were all statistically significant. Findings suggest that higher digital addiction is associated with higher BMI and lower MEDLIFE, and these relationships are partially mediated by palatable eating motivations. Notably, the mediating effect was more pronounced in the association with BMI, whereas it was comparatively limited in the association with MEDLIFE.

The revised Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire -18 (TFEQ-R18) is used to assess eating behaviour in weight management, obesity, and epidemiological studies. We provided sex-specific normative values as percentiles for the TFEQ-R18 from three population-based samples (Northern Finland cohorts) across different age groups (i.e., 33-35, 45-46, and 68-70 years) among 8959 participants (58% female). Mean values with SD were compared across six BMI classes, stratified by sex and age group. Percentile and mean values for cognitive restraint and emotional eating were higher in females than in males across all age groups. Additionally, the mean values for uncontrolled eating and emotional eating were highest in young adulthood and lowest in old adulthood, whereas cognitive restraint was higher in old adulthood than among younger adults. TFEQ-R18 domain scores differed between BMI classes; visual inspection suggested positive linear or slightly curvilinear associations in all age groups. These population-based norms may help healthcare professionals identify deviant eating behaviour and target support. Normative data also enhance the clinical and research utility of the TFEQ-R18. According to our findings, universal cut-off values cannot be defined for TFEQ-R18 scores; instead, the scores should be interpreted in relation to sex, age, and weight status. Future research should examine the longitudinal changes of eating behaviour in the general population and aim to find out cut-off scores for the screening of disordered eating. Also, the co-occurrence of eating behaviour dimensions in the general population and among obesity-treatment-seeking individuals needs to be recognised for the multidimensional manifestations of eating behaviour.

Shifting toward sustainable diets is key to reducing the environmental impact of food systems. In school meals, this often involves meat reduction through strategies such as all-vegetarian days and lower-carbon recipe reformulation. Yet students' perceptions of such concrete menu changes have received little attention. This convergent mixed-methods study examined students' perceptions of climate-friendly school meals and their interpretations of meat reduction. Quantitative survey data from 1268 students across six Swedish schools were analyzed using multiple regression, alongside qualitative data from student discussions analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative findings suggested that lower-carbon recipe reformulation was more acceptable to students than vegetarian-only days. Quantitative analysis showed that more positive attitudes toward climate-friendly school meals were associated with perceiving climate considerations as important in food choice, more frequent selection of vegetarian meals at school, and being female. Students also showed clear awareness of the relative carbon footprint of red meat and plant-based foods across support levels. Qualitative findings, however, highlighted that the acceptability of climate-friendly meals depended strongly on perceived taste and satiety. Meat was positioned as a normative component of a meal, while acceptance of vegetarian meals was more conditional on familiarity and palatability. These findings corroborate earlier research showing that taste, familiarity, and meal norms shape acceptance of meat reduction in school meals more strongly than sustainability concerns alone. They also indicate that lower-carbon recipe reformulation may complement vegetarian-only days as a practical strategy for supporting acceptance and intake of climate-friendly school meals.

Growing concerns about the health, social, and environmental impacts of high meat consumption have driven interest in plant-based diets and effective policies to reduce meat intake. Hybrid meat products, combining animal-derived ingredients and alternative protein sources, represent a promising strategy toward reduced meat consumption. This scoping review set out to systematically map and synthesise existing research on consumers' psychological constructs and outcomes related to hybrid meat products. Using the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework, this review focused on consumers of any demographic exposed to hybrid meat in various contexts, including retail, restaurant, and experimental settings. Seventy-nine peer-reviewed publications published up to December 2025 were included in the review after meeting the predefined inclusion criteria. Data extraction used a custom tool, and analysis involved frequency counts and descriptive summaries of key characteristics and themes. Across studies, hybrid meat products generally showed high consumer acceptance, liking, and preference, often exceeding expectations. Sensory appeal emerged as a strong predictor of liking and acceptance, and a wide range of ingredients and non-meat ratios (1% to 80%) were generally well accepted. Information provision could influence hybrid meat adoption, with environmental and health messages showing the greatest positive impact. "These findings contribute to understanding how hybrid meat products may fit within sustainable dietary transitions, while highlighting communication strategy and long-term behavioural adaptation as areas requiring further research."

Food noise has emerged as a new term to describe a preoccupation with food that can be persistent, intrusive, and unwanted. The term has become popular on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit, typically alongside discussion of the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide). Specifically, people report that taking a GLP-1 medication can dampen or substantially reduce their food noise. Qualitative research describes how this effect is welcomed and can allow people more control over their eating habits. However, although reductions in food noise appear to be a promising impact of treatment with a GLP-1 medication and may help to explain disordered eating behaviours, little is known about what exactly food noise is, what causes it, and how any remediation of distressing thoughts might work. As such, this narrative review critically discusses existing research into food noise, including proposed definitions and existing qualitative findings, to better understand the conceptualisation of the construct. Based on current understandings of food noise, we present five potential theoretical explanations for food noise: homeostatic theory, food cue reactivity, food addiction, thought suppression, and memory inhibition. We end by synthesising these five theories and providing suggestions for future research.

Combining fat and carbohydrate (carb) increases food reward. Previously, we reasoned that a mechanism is reduced satiety - foods comprising a more equal ratio of carb and fat deliver less satiety per calorie. In an initial test of this theory, we completed two online data collections, one in the US (N = 148 participants, 36 foods) and one in the UK (N = 150 participants, 24 foods). In both, participants evaluated high-carb, high-fat, and 'combo' (equal fat/carb) foods. Consistent with our preregistered hypotheses, in both studies, combo foods were (1) rated more liked (taste pleasantness: UK Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .33; US Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .06), (2) rated more rewarding (desire to eat: UK Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .30; US Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .08) and (3) expected to be less satiating (comfortably full: UK Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .29; US Carb = Fat < Combo, p < .001, ƞp[2] = .23). The results for other measures (hypothetical ideal portion (kcal) and maximum portion (kcal) and rated prospective sickliness) were also consistent with our pre-registered hypotheses (all p < .001). Together, these findings align with our theory that combo foods are more rewarding because they deliver less fullness. In turn, this pattern may reflect a form of nutritional intelligence, whereby food reward motivates the selection of foods that can maximise energy intake. However, research comprising causal studies is required to confirm or refute this claim.

Socioeconomic disparities in dietary behavior are often partially attributed to differences in the residential food environment, yet evidence linking food outlet availability to diet quality remains inconsistent. The Environmental Research framework for weight Gain prevention (EnRG) proposes that environmental influences operate through both a cognitive pathway, mediated by Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs, and a direct, automatic pathway. In this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 1033 adults with oversampling of low socioeconomic position, we tested both pathways while additionally examining the role of food insecurity and financial scarcity. Outlet density and distance to nearest fast-food and fruit and vegetable outlet were measured at the postal code level. Dietary behavior, TPB constructs, food insecurity, and financial scarcity were assessed by self-report. Path analyses tested cognitive mediation; subgroup and moderation analyses examined whether food insecurity altered food environment effects. The residential food environment showed minimal associations with dietary consumption: only one of eight direct associations reached significance (fast-food distance and fast-food consumption), and was attenuated in path analyses. All paths from food environment characteristics to TPB constructs were non-significant, indicating no support for cognitive mediation. Food insecurity did not moderate food environment effects. In contrast, food insecurity and financial scarcity were consistently associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption and poorer diet quality, but not with fast-food consumption. These findings do not support the hypothesis that the residential food environment plays a large role in shaping dietary behavior in low-SEP populations, while financial constraints were more consistently associated with dietary outcomes supporting evaluation of policies aimed at affordability alongside environmental interventions.

Research with infants highlights an early capacity to learn from social partners, particularly about concepts that would be difficult to learn independently. However, scant literature examines social learning (such as the impact of demonstrations) on infants' acceptance of foods, even though the timeline of solid food introduction (recommended to start at age 6 months) aligns with emerging capacities for infant social learning, making solid foods an ecologically valid category of unfamiliar stimuli. The present research examines whether infants eat more food at 6 (n = 103), 9 (n = 104), and 12 (n = 101) months when their mothers demonstrate eating and the factors that predict maternal eating demonstrations. Although the frequency of maternal eating demonstrations was positively associated with infant bites, we observed low levels of maternal eating demonstrations (fewer than 30% of mothers demonstrated eating at each infant age). Infants tended to eat more of familiar versus unfamiliar foods, yet mothers did not differ in their demonstrations of eating familiar versus unfamiliar foods. Mothers were more likely to demonstrate eating foods when the observations took place during shared meals (rather than individual infant feedings) and when feeding older infants, with more demonstrations occurring at the 9- and 12-month age points compared to the 6-month age point. Eating demonstrations are discussed as a potential target for intervention deserving further study given that we rarely observed spontaneous eating demonstrations in this study.

Parental and infant factors (eg pre-pregnancy maternal BMI, gestational body weight, breast or formula feeding) are known to influence the risk of developing obesity in later life, but whether this is influenced by their effects on appetite traits is unknown. We investigated the influence of developmental factors associated with obesity on appetite traits in infancy. Appetite traits were assessed by maternal completion of the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at 2-4 weeks and 6 months and the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at 12 months in a cohort of 432 infants born in Cyprus and followed prospectively. Postulated parental and infant variables associated with infant obesity risk were analysed for their association with appetite traits. Multivariable linear regression models were built for the nominally statistically significant variables from minimally adjusted models for each appetite trait, adjusting for confounders. Associations between maternal and infant characteristics are based on appetite traits at 2-4 weeks which were the main determinants of later traits. Gestational diabetes (β = 0.581, 95% CI: 0.209, 0.952) was positively while formula feeding (β = -0.320, 95%CI: -0.603, -0.038) was negatively associated with Food Responsiveness. WFA z-score (β = 0.134, 95%CI: 0.005, 0.262) at 4 weeks was positively, while father's educational attainment (β = -0.319, 95%CI:-0.499, -0.138) was negatively associated with Satiety Responsiveness. Both formula-feeding at 4 weeks (β = -0.422, 95% CI: -0.707, -0.139) and WFA z-score at 4 weeks (β = -0.195 95% CI: -0.366, 0.025) were associated with lower Slowness in Eating. Our findings demonstrate that parental/infant factors linked with obesity show variable associations with appetite traits in infancy, supporting further investigation of their contribution to the developmental origins of obesity.

Considering the growing concern over the health consequences of excessive sugar consumption among children, it has become crucial to design effective and age-appropriate interventions. While existing research has provided relevant insights into sugar consumption from the perspective of adults (e.g., parents), the perspectives of children themselves have received relatively little empirical attention. The current study aimed at exploring how children navigate the often-conflicting individual and contextual influences that shape their eating behaviors. Following a qualitative approach, we explored primary school children's views on their motivations for consuming sugar, the situations/contexts in which sugary foods and drinks are more accessible, the perceived roles of family and school, and their attitudes toward dietary change. Six focus groups were conducted across two schools, involving 44 fourth-grade students. The resulting recordings were transcribed verbatim and subject to content analysis. The findings suggest children were able to identify sugar sources and recognize potential health consequences of their intake. However, sugar consumption remains driven by a strong sensory and hedonic attraction to sweets. The insights emerging from this discussion were further synthesized into barriers and facilitators of sugar intake according to the dimensions of capability, opportunity, and motivation of the COM-B framework. These findings indicate that intake can be facilitated (or hindered) by capability (e.g., knowledge of sugar sources), opportunity (e.g., family influences, related learning at school), and motivation (e.g., sensory appeal, affective attachment to sweets). This study informs future research and interventions on sugar consumption among children, adding valuable insights from their own perspectives.

A transition towards more environmentally sustainable dietary patterns is crucial to mitigate the impact of current dietary habits on global climate change. Children represent a key target group in this transition, since they are in the process of developing their dietary habits and environmental attitudes, and they will bear the long-term consequences of today's dietary choices. Therefore, this study aims to explore the motivations of children aged 8 to 12 for environmentally sustainable dietary patterns, as well as how they communicate about and attempt to influence their parent sustainable dietary behaviours. To do so, in-depth individual qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 children and one of their parents. Results show that, while taste preferences remain an important driver for children's (sustainable) food choices, also animal welfare, the environment, and significant others' preferences are important. Furthermore, children tend to ask parents questions, inform them about sustainable foods, and sometimes request specific (alternative) foods. However, for children to be able to influence the household's food decisions, parental support was a crucial factor. To encourage long-term sustainable dietary patterns, interventions should use these insights and address children's motivations while simultaneously addressing parental concerns.

Research examining artificial intelligence's (AI) role in food choice largely asks whether AI helps people make better decisions, treating it as an information source that improves the accuracy or personalization of recommendations. We suggest that this framing captures one point on a broader continuum of how AI impacts food decisions. AI can act, often simultaneously, as an advisor consulted for information, a decision partner that actively shares in constructing the choice, or an ambient influence that shapes what appears desirable and available before deliberate choice begins. As AI becomes more conversational and more embedded across the food environment, this continuum is increasingly populated in less visible regions, yet the field remains concentrated on the advisor role. We focus on the decision-partner role, where AI participates in value construction, goal clarification, attribute weighting, and choice justification, raising questions about agency, responsibility, and delegation. We articulate four mechanisms that describe this participation, namely preference offloading, responsibility reallocation, confidence calibration, and food-decision skill erosion. Because food choice is frequent, often habitual, and commonly involves trade-offs among hedonic and utilitarian goals, it is an ideal domain in which these process-level effects can compound. We draw on evidence from consumer psychology, automation research, and cognitive science, noting where boundary conditions remain untested in food contexts, and close with a research agenda organized around agency, reliance, responsibility, confidence, and cognitive effort. When AI shares in constructing a food choice, the values being optimized may no longer be entirely the consumer's own.

Adolescents' health intertemporal decision-making not only affects current learning adaptation but also influences development potential in adulthood. However, there is a lack of sufficient empirical evidence regarding whether socioeconomic status, which is an important background factor reflecting the availability of resources and future expectations, influences adolescents' health intertemporal decision-making. Based on life history theory, our study conducted three studies to examine the differences in adolescents' health intertemporal decision-making across different socioeconomic statuses. Study 1 consisted of two sub-studies: Studies 1A and 1B recruited 90 and 84 adolescent participants, respectively, from northwestern China. Based on objective and subjective socioeconomic status scales, the participants were divided into high- and low-score groups to examine the differences in adolescents' health intertemporal decision-making across different socioeconomic statuses. Study 2 recruited 110 adolescent participants from northwest China and used an income feedback comparison paradigm to manipulate subjective socioeconomic status, thereby examining the relationship between the two through experimental manipulation. In all three studies, the main effect of socioeconomic status on health intertemporal decision-making was not significant. However, exploratory analyses consistently indicated that the impact of socioeconomic status on adolescents' health intertemporal decision-making might vary depending on the food context. The results of Study 1 showed that adolescents in the low-score groups for objective socioeconomic status and subjective socioeconomic status exhibited a higher time discount rate when faced with unhealthy food. The results of Study 2 showed that adolescents in the low subjective socioeconomic status group exhibited a higher time discount rate when faced with unhealthy food. The present findings provide preliminary evidence for the association between socioeconomic status and health-related intertemporal decision-making among adolescents. Moreover, they offer a reference for future research aimed at developing interventions to promote healthy behaviors in adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, including goal-setting training, future self-imagination, and food environment optimization.