Encouraging vegetable consumption by emphasising their desirability, rather than health benefits, can significantly reduce food-related CO2 emissions.
What people eat significantly impacts climate change. Beef production emits up to 100 times more greenhouse gases than plant-based options like lentils and beans (BIT, 2020). However, encouraging people to adopt these more sustainable and healthier choices isn’t always easy. Typically, we emphasise the environmental and health benefits of plant-based diets, but research from Stanford suggests this may not be the most effective approach.
Instead, how non-meat dishes are presented is crucial. Descriptive language that highlights the taste, texture, and quality of vegan or vegetarian dishes, along with careful plating and creative garnishing, can make them more appealing to diners.
In 2017, three Stanford researchers, Bradley Turnwald, Daniella Boles and Alia Crum ran a study into the effect of food descriptors on the consumption of a specific plant-based dish.
In a large university cafeteria, over seven weeks, each day, they randomised the name of a plant-based dish in one of four ways:
The researchers then monitored the number of people choosing that dish.
The result: Creating positive expectations around taste encouraged people to order that dish. Diners chose vegetables with “indulgent” labelling 25% more than basic labelling, 35% more than “healthy positive” and 41% more than “healthy restrictive.” Counterintuitively, labelling dishes as healthy actually made it less likely that people would pick them.
The research suggests that focusing on a food’s environmental or health merits can be a mistake. That’s because people tend to assume that these items have a trade-off. For example, if it’s healthy, it’s unlikely to be tasty. Instead, messages should be centred around creating positive expectations of taste. Sometimes the best way to encourage a sustainable behaviour is not to focus on its sustainability. Often it’s better to focus on appeal over duty.
Are you aware of any other nudges that promote plant-based eating? Feel free to comment or get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com
From Richard Shotton, a marketing expert with 24 years of experience. In 2018, he founded Astroten, an agency that applies behavioural science to marketing challenges and conducts training on how marketers can promote sustainability. Richard authored The Choice Factory (2018) and The Illusion of Choice (2023). The Choice Factory, translated into 15 languages, won Best Sales and Marketing Book at the 2019 Business Book Awards. In 2021, he became an honorary IPA fellow and an associate at Cambridge University’s Møller Institute.
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