Research reveals unfavorable beliefs about frozen vegetables

(HealthDay)—Individuals have a negative bias toward frozen vegetables, according to a study published in the Aug. 1 issue of Appetite.

Paul M. Connell, Ph.D., from Stony Brook University in New York, and colleagues examined the negative bias associated with frozen versus fresh vegetables in two studies.

The researchers used an implicit association test in study 1 to demonstrate that generalized negative associations with frozen vegetables were automatic, robust, and ingrained in long-term memory. This finding was replicated conceptually with an explicit measure in study 2 and was extended by examining the role of transforming the food product in formation of the observed negative bias. When participants contemplated the final cooked product, there was no improvement in evaluation for frozen spinach, while evaluations were less favorable for fresh spinach.

"Future research should investigate interventions to mitigate negative associations with frozen vegetables, and perhaps vegetables that have been transformed in other ways (e.g., by cooking them)," the authors write. "Educational efforts on the positive attributes of frozen vegetables have the potential to change people's beliefs and attitudes toward this affordable and nutritious food source."