Nudging Italian university students towards healthy and sustainable food choices: An online experiment

• Published in: Food quality and preference Vol. 111; p. 104971
• Main Authors: Wongprawmas, Rungsaran, Andreani, Giulia, Franchini, Cinzia, Biasini, Beatrice, Rosi, Alice, Dolgopolova, Irina, Roosen, Jutta, Menozzi, Davide, Gómez, Miguel I., Scazzina, Francesca, Mora, Cristina, Sogari, Giovanni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Dish placement; food quality; gender; Italy; Logo; low calorie diet; Mediterranean diet; Menu; Online experiment; University canteen; Italy; University canteen; Menu; Mediterranean diet; Dish placement; Online experiment; Logo
• ISSN: 0950-3293; 1873-6343
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104971

•The position of the dishes on the menu highly impacts choices in the online context.•Placing target dishes at the beginning of the menu could improve students’ choices.•For students with little to no sustainable and healthy diet, nudging did not work.•Personal characteristics and eating behaviors influence nudging effects. Finding strategies to motivate consumers to make food choices that could both boost sustainability and improve their health is crucial. Literature suggests that nudging could be effective in increasing the consumption of healthy and sustainable food. This research aims at determining the effects of different nudges on university students’ food choices in the context of the online pre-ordering system of the university canteens. An experimental study was conducted in Italy with 1,312 participants using a between-subject design with one control and three treatment groups, i.e., Healthy and Sustainable Logo, Dish Placement (order of which dishes are displayed on the menu), and a combination of both nudges. Our main results show that dish placement leads to a significantly increased selection of healthy and sustainable dishes. Furthermore, both placement and the combination of the two nudges could positively influence students who already have strong sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. Finally, the population’s characteristics (i.e., age, gender, being on a low-calorie diet, and living with parents), consumers’ intention to consume healthy and sustainable food, and their eating habits should be considered when identifying a successful nudging strategy.