Evaluating preference for and reinforcing efficacy of fruits and vegetables compared with salty and sweet foods

Kronfli et al. (2020) ran a multiple-stimulus preference test with kids who have autism. They put apple slices, baby carrots, grapes, and cherry tomatoes on the same tray as chips, cookies, and candy.

Each child could pick one item. The team then checked if the chosen fruit or veggie still worked as a reinforcer during a short work task.

Fruits and vegetables were picked first almost as often as salty and sweet snacks. When the kids got the produce for doing work, they kept working just as hard.

Bottom line: healthy food can be real reinforcement, not just "better than nothing."

Conine et al. (2019) and Sipila‐Thomas et al. (2021) also showed edibles beating leisure items for many kids with autism. Kronfli narrows the edible group and still finds the same trend—produce holds its own.

Villafaña et al. (2023) extends the idea to food-selective kids. They used pictures of fruits and veggies and got similar preference ranks, so you don’t have to put real food in front of a child who might gag.

Pubylski-Yanofchick et al. (2022) and Vanderzell et al. (2025) flipped the script: they used preferred fruits and veggies as rewards to help autistic teens and adults eat new healthy foods. The same items that Kronfli showed are reinforcing can then be used to treat feeding problems.

Stop skipping produce in your MSWO. Put strawberries next to Skittles and let the data talk. If a child picks blueberries, you now have a zero-sugar, vitamin-packed reinforcer that parents love. Rotate fruits and veggies across sessions to keep motivation high and support generalization to the dinner table.