Annual Wageningen Child eating behaviour symposium

This event brought together leading researchers and practitioners to share the latest developments in child eating behaviour research.

The symposium attracted a record 350 registrants, with an impressive international audience, with ~100 participants attending in person on the day at the Wageningen Campus and a further ~250 or so joining at stages of the day online from countries including the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Bangladesh, France, Iran, and Germany.

The symposium opened with a keynote from Dr. Carole Tournier from the Centre des Gout (CESGA) at INRAE, in Dijon, France where she is head of the ChemoSense research platform. Dr. Tournier presented a comprehensive overview of her work on the development of child oral anatomy, physiology, and eating behaviours, emphasizing the critical role of early-life food texture experiential learning.

The morning session continued with talks by researchers at Wageningen University and Research (WUR). Dr. Ale Teklu Toni discussed new approaches to measure appetite in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). He outlined challenges in developing precise and sensitive tools for assessing SAM and shared promising new findings from his PhD research to develop new tools for better diagnosis and treatment of SAM. Dr. Marlou Lasschuijt provided insights from her research on early-life feeding behaviours and highlighted challenges faced among specific clinical groups, such as preterm infants requiring tube feeding and children on the autism spectrum. PhD student Catoo Krale presented findings from her first study which aimed to use food textures to slow eating speed and reduce energy intake in school-population.

The afternoon session was entitled “How to Like,” and focused on factors that shape food preference and intake habits in children. Femke de Gooijer (WUR) presented highlights from her 4 year PhD project and discussed strategies to boost fruit and vegetable intake the application of innovative new digital tools to track snacking behaviour in children. Dr. Abigail Pickard joined us from the Edinburgh University and provided an engaging talk on avoidant/restrictive eating behaviours (AVID) in children, sharing findings from the Appetite project on the emergence of AVID behaviours in early life. Prof. Chantal Nederkoorn from Maastricht University discussed the outcomes from her PhD student Britt van Feischeuer, which compared the psychological traits linked to picky eating behaviours. Finally, Ilse van Lier from Maastricht University, Campus Venlo, examined how children perceive sustainable foods, highlighting their creativity and priorities when designing novel ‘plant-based’ products.

The final session was titled “How to Change,” and explored the future of child eating behaviour research and its practical applications. Assistant Prof. Guido Camps (WUR) offered a thought-provoking talk on the potential of digital tools and artificial intelligence in research with children away from the laboratory, emphasizing the importance of integrating these tools in future research. Prof. Kathleen Keller from Penn State University in the United States delivered a key-note presentation on the relative inter-play between genetic and behavioral risks linked to Appetite Self Regulation (ASR) and shared data on how these factors influence eating behaviour and growth throughout childhood. Fieke Franken closed the day by sharing her work on implementing the school program ‘Taste Lessons’ (Dutch: Smaaklessen), designed to enhance children’s nutritional knowledge and promote healthier eating habits.

The organizers would like to thank those who travelled to attend and all of our speakers, and those attending online for a day of stimulating presentations. If you have any feedback on how to improve future editions of this one day symposium, please send an email to CEBS@WUR.nl

The popularity of the event has grown in 3-years since it was launched and we look forward to welcome everyone back to Wageningen in December 2025 for the 4th Wageningen Child Eating Behaviour Symposium.

Organizers The Child Eating Behaviour Symposium is organized by the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour group at Wageningen University and Research: Prof. Ciarán Forde, Dr. Marlou Lasschuijt, Dr. Beyza Ustun-Elayan, Dr. Victoire de Wild, Dr. Gerry Jager, and Sjanneke Hulshof.

Watch the Symposium Online Missed the event or want to revisit the talks? Watch the 3rd CEBS

3rd ‘Child Eating Behaviour Symposium’ (12-12-2024 08:30:00)

Share Your Feedback Do you have suggestions for next year? Interested in speaking or recommending a speaker? Let us know through our survey or send an email to CEBS@WUR.nl.

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