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Weijers RJ, Claessens IWH, Gillebaart M, de Ridder DTD. Nudging towards sustainable dining: Exploring menu nudges to promote vegetarian meal choices in restaurants. Appetite 2024; 198:107376. [PMID: 38670347 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Food choice behavior plays a large role in achieving sustainability goals. Meat in particular has a negative environmental impact as compared with plant-based food - and is more frequently chosen in restaurant contexts. To increase plant-based meal choices in restaurants, we tested three nudges for menus that are likely to be implemented by restaurant owners: a hedonic label (e.g., artisanal vegetable burger), a chef's recommendation (specifying the vegetarian option as the chef's favorite), and a salience nudge (a box around the vegetarian option). In an online experiment, we showed participants (n = 513) in four conditions (no nudge, hedonic label, chef's recommendation, and salience nudge) five menus with four meal options each, one of which was vegetarian. We asked participants to choose a meal and subsequently to rate these meals on how tasty and indulgent they were (taste and indulgence attributions). We then revealed which nudge was used to the participants and asked how participants received it. Results show that the hedonic label and chef's recommendation nudge (but not the salience nudge) both increase vegetarian meal choices. The hedonic label increased participants' attributions of indulgence of the meal, but not of tastiness. This finding fits with restaurants' gastronomic, pleasure-seeking context and shapes future directions of labeling interventions, namely that indulgence attributions can be increased in vegetarian foods. Furthermore, the nudges were generally well accepted and participants' intention to return to the (virtual) restaurant was high. Finally, customers expected the hedonic label nudge to be more effective in promoting vegetarian food choices than the other two nudges, partially corresponding with our findings of actual effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Weijers
- Department of Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
| | - Iris W H Claessens
- Department of Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Marleen Gillebaart
- Department of Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Denise T D de Ridder
- Department of Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
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Franchini C, Bartolotto C, Scazzina F, Carpenter CL, Slusser W. Increasing the Consumption of Environmentally Friendly Foods in a University Dining Hall Using Menu Item Placement. Nutrients 2023; 15:3873. [PMID: 37764657 PMCID: PMC10537694 DOI: 10.3390/nu15183873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Franchini
- Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy; (C.F.); (F.S.)
| | - Carole Bartolotto
- UCLA Housing, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Francesca Scazzina
- Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy; (C.F.); (F.S.)
| | - Catherine L. Carpenter
- Division of Clinical Nutrition, Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Wendelin Slusser
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Garaus M, Wolfsteiner E, Hu J. The unhealthy-tasty intuition in dining out situations: the role of health inferences and taste expectations. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1152114. [PMID: 37234554 PMCID: PMC10206271 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1152114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Garaus
- School of International Management, Modul University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Wolfsteiner
- Institute of Marketing, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Jennifer Hu
- School of International Management, Modul University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Venema TAG, Jensen NH. We meat again: a field study on the moderating role of location-specific consumer preferences in nudging vegetarian options. Psychol Health 2023:1-15. [PMID: 36840618 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2023.2182896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
This field study set out to test whether consumers' history of making decisions in a particular choice context moderated the effectiveness of a nudge intervention to reduce meat consumption. In a Danish hospital canteen that served both staff members and visitors, a combination of nudges (Chef's recommendation sticker + prominent positioning) was implemented to promote vegetarian sandwiches. The sales of these sandwiches increased from 16.45% during the baseline period to 25.16% during the nudge intervention period. Most notably, this increase was caused by the visitors, who had weak location-bound preferences. Hospital staff members (who had strong location-bound preferences) were unaffected by the nudge in their choice. This is an important finding because the two consumer groups did not differ on their person-bound preferences for meat. It seems that behaviour change is best predicted by location-bound preferences, whereas the behaviour itself is best predicted by person-bound preferences. These findings can help organizations in estimating whether a nudge intervention has enough potential for behaviour change, or whether more directive policies are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina A G Venema
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Niels Holm Jensen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Gynell I, Kemps E, Prichard I. The effectiveness of implicit interventions in food menus to promote healthier eating behaviours: A systematic review. Appetite 2022; 173:105997. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.105997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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The effect of item placement on snack food choices from physical and online menus. Appetite 2021; 169:105792. [PMID: 34742773 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous attempts to promote healthy eating using explicit techniques have not been consistently successful. We therefore investigated an implicit strategy (item placement techniques) to encourage healthy food choices in the context of snack menus. Two experimental studies compared presentation of healthy items in the top, middle, and bottom sections of a snack menu. Study 1 compared these presentations in a physical paper-based menu, while Study 2 used an online menu. Menus consisted of 8 unhealthy and 4 healthy items, arranged in three rows of four in Study 1, and one column of 12 in Study 2. In each study, participants selected one food item from one of the three experimental menus, before completing the Revised Restraint Scale (to determine dietary restraint status). In Study 1 (n = 172), item placement condition did not predict healthiness of food choice. In Study 2 (n = 182), healthy items were most popular from the first section of the menu, in comparison to the middle or last sections. Dietary restraint did not moderate the effect of item placement condition on food choice. In line with nudging principles, our results suggest that item placement techniques could be a potentially powerful tool in promoting healthy choices from online snack menus.
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A nudge in the right direction: the role of food choice architecture in changing populations' diets. Proc Nutr Soc 2021; 80:195-206. [PMID: 33446288 DOI: 10.1017/s0029665120007983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Populations' diets typically fall short of recommendations. The implication of this on ill health and quality of life is well established, as are the subsequent health care costs. An area of growing interest within public health nutrition is food choice architecture; how a food choice is framed and its influence on subsequent food selection. In particular, there is an appeal to manipulating the choice architecture in order to nudge individuals' food choice. This review outlines the current understanding of food choice architecture, theoretical background to nudging and the evidence on the effectiveness of nudge strategies, as well as their design and implementation. Interventions emphasising the role of nudge strategies have investigated changes to the accessibility, availability and presentation of food and the use of prompts. Empirical studies have been conducted in laboratories, online and in real-world food settings, and with different populations. Evidence on the effectiveness of nudge strategies in shifting food choice is encouraging. Underpinning mechanisms, not yet fully explicated, are proposed to relate to salience, social norms and the principle of least effort. Emerging evidence points to areas for development including the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions with different and diverse populations, and the combined effect of multiple nudges. This, alongside further examination of theoretical mechanisms and guidance to engage and inspire across the breadth of food provision, is critical. In this way, the potential of choice architecture to effect meaningful change in populations' diets will be realised.
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Zhou X, Perez-Cueto FJ, Dos Santos Q, Bredie WL, Molla-Bauza MB, Rodrigues VM, Buch-Andersen T, Appleton KM, Hemingway A, Giboreau A, Saulais L, Monteleone E, Dinnella C, Hartwell H. Promotion of novel plant-based dishes among older consumers using the ‘dish of the day’ as a nudging strategy in 4 EU countries. Food Qual Prefer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Bacon L, Krpan D. (Not) Eating for the environment: The impact of restaurant menu design on vegetarian food choice. Appetite 2018; 125:190-200. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Feldman C, Su H, Mahadevan M, Brusca J, Hartwell H. Menu Psychology to Encourage Healthy Menu Selections at a New Jersey University. JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/15428052.2013.798605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Mahadevan M. Menu engineering for assisted-living elderly: a public health imperative. Perspect Public Health 2012; 132:211-2. [PMID: 22991366 DOI: 10.1177/1757913912457313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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