Fussy eating in children largely down to genetics, research shows

Pickiness ‘not down to parenting’ and peaks at seven years old, according to study

Parents who find themselves exasperated by their child’s fussy eating, take heart: the refusal to tuck into a broader range of foods is largely down to genes rather than parenting, according to scientists.

Researchers investigated eating habits in toddlers to teenagers and found that on average fussiness over food changed little from 16 months to 13 years old. There was a minor peak in pickiness at seven years, then a slight decline thereafter.