Grin And Rate It: Research Uses Emojis For School Lunches

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas researchers say that the smiling, blissful and confused-looking emojis dotting the electronic landscape may hold the key to ferreting out grade-school children's true feelings about foods.

And that could help schools across the nation cut down on lunchroom food waste.

The Sensory and Consumer Research Center at Kansas State University Olathe is developing a scientific methodology to measure children's face-emoji responses to food. So far, kids in Kansas and Ghana have been tested.

Researchers had children ages 7 to 12 taste and rate three foods -- plain oatmeal, pepperoni pizza Lunchables and Japanese Ramune (ra-moo-nay) soda -- with 28 face emojis and 28 words.

Researchers will return to Ghana for the next phase of testing this month, followed by similar taste-tests in Olathe in May.

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