The effect of item placement on snack food choices from physical and online menus

Positive serial dependence in ratings of food images for appeal and calories

Food is fundamental to survival, and our brains are highly attuned to rapidly process food stimuli. Neural signals show that foods can be discriminated as edible or inedible as early as 85 ms after stimulus onset,1 distinguished as processed or unprocessed beginning at 130 ms,2 and as high or low density from 165 ms.3 Recent evidence revealed specialized processing of food stimuli in the ventral visual pathway,4,5,6 an area that underlies perception of faces and other important objects. For many visual objects, perception can be biased toward recent perceptual history (known as serial dependence7,8). We examined serial dependence for food in two large samples (n > 300) who rated sequences of food images for either "appeal" or "calories." Ratings for calories were highly correlated between participants and were similar for males and females. Appeal ratings varied considerably between participants, consistent with the idiosyncratic nature of food preferences, and tended to be higher for males than females. High-calorie ratings were associated with high appeal, especially in males. Importantly, response biases showed clear positive serial dependences: higher stimulus values in the previous trials led to positive biases, and vice versa. The effects were similar for males and females and for calories and appeal ratings and were remarkably consistent across participants. These findings square with recently found food selectively in the visual temporal cortex, reveal a new mechanism influencing food decision-making, and suggest a new sensory-level component that could complement cognitive strategies in diet intervention.

The effect of spatial separation on food and drink choices from an online menu

Emerging research suggests that modifying the presentation context of healthy food items can subtly 'nudge' individuals to make healthier choices. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of spatial separation between high and low nutritional value items on food and drink choices from an online fast-food menu. Participants (N = 210 women) were presented with one of three pictorial menus in which high nutritional value food and drink items were presented spatially mixed, grouped, or separate from low nutritional value items. Participants were asked to make one selection from each menu category (a main, drink, and dessert), and then completed a measure of dietary restraint. Overall, there was no main effect of menu condition. However, dietary restraint status moderated the effect of menu condition on healthy choices. In particular, women who scored low (but not those who scored high) on dietary restraint were positively influenced by the experimental manipulation, making approximately 14 % healthier selections when high nutritional value items were presented separately from low nutritional value items. This was principally the case for desserts, and to a lesser extent drinks. The findings have practical implications for the design of online fast-food menus to promote healthier food and drink selections.

Increasing the Consumption of Environmentally Friendly Foods in a University Dining Hall Using Menu Item Placement

Creating a decision-making environment that promotes sustainable food choices is a priority for both the individual and society. This study aimed at encouraging plant-based menu choices by re-ordering the menu according to the carbon footprint values. The project was conducted in a grab-and-go eatery at a large United States public university, where students could order their meals choosing among different menu options that were customizable with various ingredients. The order of menu ingredients was changed twice: for five weeks, from the most to the least impactful in terms of carbon footprint; subsequently, for another five weeks the order was reversed. At both times, all sales data were recorded. A total of 279,219 and 288,527 items were selected, respectively, during the first and the second intervention. A significant association was found between menu re-ordering and customers' choices for almost all food categories considered. Overall, despite beef choices not changing, results showed that students were more likely to choose low-carbon options when these were placed at the beginning, emphasizing that food selections were impacted by ingredient placement on the menu list. These findings highlight the need for a multi-level strategy focused on raising students' awareness of the environmental impact of animal-based foods, particularly beef.

The unhealthy-tasty intuition in dining out situations: the role of health inferences and taste expectations

Introduction

Increasing obesity rates around the globe have challenged policymakers to find strategies to prompt healthier eating habits. While unhealthy eating takes place in many different contexts, dining out is a context where individuals often choose an unhealthy option despite the availability of healthier alternatives. One possible explanation for this behavior is the unhealthy-tasty intuition, which refers to the belief that unhealthy food is tastier than healthy food. Nevertheless, many policymakers and restaurant managers follow the - in this context - counterintuitive approach of using health claims to nudge people towards more healthy eating choices or habits.

Methods

The current research employs an online experiment with 137 participants and investigates how health claims and sensory claims impact on the purchase intention of healthy options for desserts. Furthermore, it explores how health inferences and taste expectations mediate the intention to purchase.

Results and discussion

Findings from the online experiment confirm that health claims prompt positive health inferences, while also stimulating unfavorable taste expectations, resulting in a lower intention to purchase. Surprisingly, we found no effect of a sensory claim on taste expectations. The findings of our experiment contradict the unhealthy-tasty intuition by revealing a significant positive correlation between taste expectations and health inferences. While both health inferences and taste expectations impact positively on purchasing intentions for the health-claim condition, the indirect effect of taste expectations was stronger than the indirect effect of health inferences.

The effect of a healthy food cue on choices from an online fast-food menu

The prevalence of unhealthy food cues in our environment is a major contributor to poor dietary behaviours. Emerging research has shown that changing the food environment through the co-presentation of a healthy food cue may subtly 'nudge' individuals towards making healthier choices. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a healthy food cue on subsequent food and drink choices from an online fast-food ordering menu. Participants (N = 291 women) were first presented with a cue displaying either a healthy or unhealthy meal, or no cue control. They were then shown a pictorial menu with items presented in one of two orders - menu 1 (first item healthy), menu 2 (first item unhealthy) - and asked to choose one item from each of three sections (mains, drinks, desserts). Participants also completed a questionnaire measure of dietary restraint. Overall, participants made more healthy choices from menu 1 than 2. For menu 1, there was a significant interaction between experimental condition and restraint status, whereby restrained eaters made relatively more healthy choices following the healthy cue. This was particularly the case for 'main' meal items. The findings have real world implications for digital businesses on how to present food and drink items to nudge individuals towards healthier choices.