Bribing children with money to eat fruit and vegetables may be cheaper than providing it free with school lunches, according to a US study.
Researchers from Cornell and Brigham Young universities found that offering small monetary rewards increased fruit and vegetable consumption by 80 per cent and decreased waste by a third.
The team measured fruit and vegetable intake over week-long experiments, as well as before and after the trial period.
Results showed that although increased healthy eating did not last longer than the reward system, children did not eat less after it had finished. Researchers concluded that rewards do not have a negative long-term effect known as a ‘boomerang’.
In a previous study the researchers observed when schools provided an obligatory piece of fruit or vegetables on every lunch tray, whether the child wanted it or not. They found that children discarded 70 per cent of the extra servings, prompting the trial of the bribery method.
'Parents are often misguided about incentives,' economics professor Joe Price told the website Science Daily.
He said: 'We feel a sense of dirtiness about a bribe. But rewards can be really powerful if the activity creates a new skill or changes preferences.'
The team is now planning to run the same test over a five-week period.
Price said: “I don't think we should give incentives such a bad rap. They should be considered part of a set of tools we can use.'
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