Why children became fussy eaters

TL;DR

A short Economist article reviews Helen Zoe Veit's book on how American children shifted from eager eaters to the world's fussiest.
In 1915, food rejection was rare; experts blamed illness, not preference, as kids ate adult foods without complaint.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters?rdt_cid=5324285159521378430)[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)
Parents followed bad advice on bland diets, snacking, and passivity, letting marketers create picky habits amid post-war plenty.[[3]](https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/lifestyle/american-children-are-the-pickiest-eaters-in-history-and-this-is-why/)

The story at a glance

The article draws on historian Helen Zoe Veit's book Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History to explain the rise of fussy eating. It contrasts a 1915 case where a boy's food rejection baffled experts with today's norms, blaming parental choices and food industry shifts. This comes now amid growing talk of picky eating's spread, as in a related Economist newsletter comparing American and French approaches.[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Key points

Before the 20th century, no "children's food" existed; kids ate adult meals like spicy relishes, organ meats, raw oysters, and coffee, driven by real hunger.[[3]](https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/lifestyle/american-children-are-the-pickiest-eaters-in-history-and-this-is-why/)
Early 1900s reformers warned diverse foods caused weakness and disease, pushing bland diets that parents adopted eagerly despite weak evidence.
Dr. Spock's 1940s advice treated pickiness as psychological, urging mothers to ignore refusals and avoid pressure to foster individuality.[[3]](https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/lifestyle/american-children-are-the-pickiest-eaters-in-history-and-this-is-why/)
Post-war abundance, constant snacking, and processed "kiddie foods" like Goldfish crackers—pushed by cartoons—eroded hunger and curiosity.
Supermarkets let kids pick from carts, amplifying demands; families often cooked multiple meals to suit fussy tastes.
Veit argues pickiness is modern, not innate: American kids now lead globally, contrasting cultures where children eat family meals.[[4]](https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/picky-review-the-age-of-chicken-fingers-0cedb53e)

Details and context

The article opens with a 1915 letter to America's Children's Bureau, where experts rejected taste as a reason for refusal—unlike today, when it's common.[[1]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/09/why-children-become-fussy-eaters?rdt_cid=5324285159521378430) Veit traces this to practical pasts: scarce food meant no snacks, so children ate heartily. Reformers then pathologized variety, ignoring hygiene gains.

Post-1940s, Freudian ideas made parents passive; snacking dulled appetites, while industry targeted kids with addictive sweets. This created a cycle: parents cater, reinforcing refusal.[[3]](https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/lifestyle/american-children-are-the-pickiest-eaters-in-history-and-this-is-why/)

French families, per a related newsletter, expect kids to eat communal meals, avoiding America's separate "kid food."[[2]](https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/11/plot-twist-newsletter-the-plague-of-picky-eating)

Key quotes

"The old sense that children were naturally curious, appreciative, eager eaters was utterly gone by the postwar decades." —Helen Zoe Veit, in Picky.[[3]](https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/lifestyle/american-children-are-the-pickiest-eaters-in-history-and-this-is-why/)

Why it matters

Picky eating limits nutrition and family meals, contributing to health issues like shorter stature from poor diets. Parents face daily battles and guilt from outdated advice, while food firms profit from bland products. Watch if cultural pushback—like shared family eating—reverses trends, though industry habits may persist.