Table 2.

How vegetables influence hedonic taste perceptions of a meal^†

			Higher affinity for vegetables		Lower affinity for vegetables
	Total		(n 250)		(n 250)
	Mean	sd	Mean	sd	Mean	sd	F value	P value
Vegetables make the meal	6·84	1·99	7·09	2·05	6·69	1·95	4·63*	0·032
Vegetables make the meal more complete	8·30	1·32	8·45	1·17	8·21	1·39	4·05*	0·045
A vegetable makes the meal seem more special	6·72	2·07	6·95	2·26	6·58	1·94	3·80	0·052
A vegetable makes the meal healthier	8·43	1·19	8·52	1·12	8·37	1·23	1·91	0·167
A vegetable makes beef taste better	6·37	2·21	6·63	2·27	6·21	2·16	4·28*	0·039
A vegetable makes chicken taste better	6·51	2·17	6·82	2·13	6·32	2·17	6·18*	0·013
A vegetable makes pork taste better	6·07	2·29	6·38	2·38	5·89	2·21	5·49*	0·020
A vegetable makes fish taste better	6·06	2·43	6·49	2·40	5·82	2·42	9·01**	0·003
A vegetable makes the meal feel more ‘family-like’	7·19	1·95	7·34	2·09	7·10	1·86	1·77	0·184

^* P < 0·05, **P < 0·01.

^†Ratings on a 9-point scale, from 1 = ‘strongly disagree’ to 9 = ‘strongly agree’, assessing the impact of the addition of a vegetable on hedonic taste perceptions of a meal among 500 American mothers, with at least two children under the age of 18 years living at home, who participated in an online survey, September 2011. A median split on the mother's general attitude towards vegetables was used to determine whether she had a lower or higher affinity for vegetables.