Why children become fussy eaters

Source: economist.com

TL;DR

• The article reviews a book arguing that fussy eating among American children emerged in the 1930s, unlike earlier eras when kids ate family meals without protest.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters)[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)
• US parents now spend 67 hours a year negotiating meals, due to factors like misunderstood science, processed-food ads, snacking, and child-centred parenting.[[3]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-the-plague-of-picky-eating)[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)
• Catering to pickiness deprives children of nutrition, broad tastes, and social ease at meals, letting it hijack childhood.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

The story at a glance

The article draws on Picky, a new book by Helen Zoe Veit, to explain the modern rise of fussy eating in America. In 1915, a mother’s complaint about her son rejecting food was dismissed as stomach trouble, since children then rarely refused meals. It is being reported now amid Veit’s book launch and ongoing parental struggles with picky eaters.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters)[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Key points

• Before the 1930s, American children ate what adults did—spicy relishes, bitter greens, vinegary pickles—and were seen as eager food lovers, not naturally fussy.[[4]](https://ifstudies.org/blog/picky-eaters-a-modern-american-phenomenon)[[5]](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/02/picky-american-kids-food/685956)
• Pickiness surged with bad advice from experts, processed-food marketing targeting kids, more snacking that dulled hunger, and a shift to “nice” parenting that accommodated tantrums over food.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)[[6]](https://www.amazon.com/Picky-American-Children-Fussiest-History/dp/1250402506)
• No “children’s food” existed pre-20th century; modern kids’ menus and separate meals normalised bland, sweet preferences.[[7]](https://www.threads.com/@theeconomist/post/DXCcC4ElDL_/before-the-th-century-there-was-no-such-thing-as-childrens-food-a-new-book)[[8]](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250402509/picky)
• Today American children are the fussiest in history, leading to poor diets where most calories are ultra-processed, stunting growth and stressing families.[[9]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXAeJo1jPBv)[[5]](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/02/picky-american-kids-food/685956)

Details and context

The article contrasts 1915 norms—when voluntary food rejection was rare—with today’s battles, blaming cultural shifts like Depression-era advice to let kids go hungry briefly to build appetite, ironically amid widespread poverty.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters)

Veit highlights parenting double standards: adults resist tantrums over school or playdates but yield on broccoli, unlike past expectations of family meals or no food.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Snacking and ads for kid-specific processed foods reduced mealtimes’ appeal, reshaping habits; French approaches, serving one family meal, avoid this by fostering shared tastes.[[3]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Key quotes

“We don’t see those tantrums as signs that they’re biologically destined to be illiterate or to live at their friend’s house.” —Helen Zoe Veit in Picky, on why parents resist other cries but not food fussing.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Why it matters

Fussy eating narrows children’s diets, boosts ultra-processed food intake, and strains family dynamics while harming long-term health. Parents face daily negotiations; businesses profit from kid-targeted junk. Watch if parenting advice or food marketing shifts, though cultural change may take generations.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)[[5]](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/02/picky-american-kids-food/685956)