Source record
Nudging towards plant-based main dishes in a university restaurant
(2022). University research group.
Key findings
- Dish-of-the-day and menu-sequence nudges had no effect on which main dish was chosen.
- The weight of meat served did not change either.
Record
- Source type
- Peer Reviewed Study
- Study type
- Randomised Controlled Trial
- Topics
- Menus & catering
- Geography
- Finland
- Population
- University restaurant diners
- Funding & conflicts
- Not recorded.
- Source quality
- Moderate evidenceA clean null result in a real setting. Recorded because inconvenient findings are recorded.
Limitations
- A single restaurant, so a null result here does not rule out an effect elsewhere.
Claims this source challenges or complicates
EnvironmentModerate evidence
Increasing the share of plant-based options on a menu increases the share of plant-based meals sold, without reducing total sales.
Yes, in canteen settings. Doubling vegetarian availability raised vegetarian sales by roughly 8 to 15 percentage points, and almost nobody noticed the change.
EnvironmentModerate evidence
Naming a dish for its flavour rather than for what it lacks or for its health properties increases how often it is chosen, with the food unchanged.
Yes. Identically prepared vegetables were chosen 41% more often under a flavour label than a health-restrictive one, and 'meat-free' performed worse than almost every alternative tested.