It’s been a good week for ... veg

US researchers have come up with a new way to encourage people to eat vegetables: make them sexy. A team at Stanford tested their theory on students in the university cafeteria and found veggie sales went up by 25 per cent when indulgent labels were used.

The results showed that “sizzlin’ beans”, “dynamite beets” and “twisted citrus-glazed carrots” tempted diners to tuck in. But healthy labels such as “wholesome” were a turn-off, even though the dishes were identical.

Brad Turnwald, who led the research team, says the findings make sense when you consider the psychology behind food choices.

“When most people are making a dining decision, they are motivated by taste. And studies show that people tend to think of healthier options as less tasty for some reason.”

Steamy hot cabbage, anyone? Tantalising turnips?

Perhaps our Scottish favourites don’t lend themselves quite so well to culinary seduction.

It’s been a bad week for ... fruit

A survey on children’s attitude to food has turned up some alarming findings. The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) poll to mark its Healthy Eating Week last week found that 11 per cent of 11-16-year-olds thought fruit pastilles counted towards their five-a-day, while around a quarter thought they could include strawberry jam as part of their daily fruit and veg intake.

Nearly one-third (29 per cent) of five to seven-year-olds and nearly a quarter of older primary pupils thought cheese came from a plant, not an animal.

Just over 22 per cent of infants and 13 per cent of older primary pupils believed that pasta comes from animals. Some 22 per cent of five to seven-year-olds also said prawns come from plants and 20 per cent thought chips were made of animals.

Meanwhile, nearly one in five young children believes fish fingers are made from chicken, although this last nugget fails to surprise since fish fingers were invented to fool children into eating fish, a cunning ruse that seems to have backfired.

Even the humble tomato caused confusion, with around 11 per cent of 11 to16-year-olds believing that they grow underground.

Oh well ... you say tomato, I say potato.