In a US study, social researchers Alex Berke and Kent Larson investigated whether vegetarian and vegan labels deter consumers from choosing those options, through both field studies and an online experiment. 

Using real event registration forms, they asked participants to select their meal preference for an upcoming event they were attending. When people clicked on the link to register, they were randomly redirected to select their meal preference out of two possible options, with one of the options labelled as either “vegan” or “vegetarian.” The forms were then used to conduct a between-subjects experiment comparing the two conditions. 

The result: This study finds that the common practice of adding vegetarian and vegan labels effectively deters consumers from choosing these options; with the negative impact of labels shown to be statistically significant in each of the field studies. They also found that Vegans and Vegetarians were not more likely to choose meat options when labels were absent.

While potentially annoying for those who are vegetarian or vegan, removing these labels may provide an extremely simple and low-cost means for restaurants and other institutions to reduce their environmental impact –, with minimal changes to menus, and without impacting freedom of choice. 

Vegans and vegetarians represent a distinct minority, comprising only about 5% of the population in the US. They are accustomed to investing extra effort to find suitable options on restaurant menus. However, in promoting plant-based dining, it might be more effective to focus on encouraging meat eaters to explore vegan and vegetarian dishes. Nonetheless, the use of labels can inadvertently trigger psychological biases, which makes individuals feel like they’re making a sacrifice or compromising on flavour. By emphasising the deliciousness of these dishes without spotlighting their vegan or vegetarian nature, we can entice a broader audience to make planet-friendly food choices.

Are you aware of any other nudges that promote planet-friendly diets? Feel free to get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

From Kate Napoli, Behavioural Science & Strategy Director at creative communications agency, alt/shift/, and guest lecturer for The University of Melbourne Masters of Applied Psychology. Her work applies behavioural science to create more effective creative communications, particularly across fields of sustainability, road safety and public health. An avid foodie, Kate is interested in the intersection of behavioural science and sustainable consumption choices. 

Nudge Lebanon implemented a small-scale pre-post intervention at the call-centre of a local restaurant to examine the impact of using a verbal prompt to change the status-quo. The prompt was designed to provide an active choice, in case customers wished to opt-out of receiving plastic cutlery. Moreover, the prompt was framed to highlight the restaurant’s efforts in preserving the environment, thereby priming customers to act in an environmentally responsible way. 

The prompt was delivered in Arabic and read as follows: “In order to preserve the environment, we are encouraging our customers to reduce the use of plastic, which is why we would like to ask you if you wish to have plastic cutlery with your order.” The call centre staff were instructed to deliver the prompt before each order was concluded. A monitoring system was put into place to ensure that data was consistently and accurately recorded, and that customers who opted-out of having plastic cutlery did not receive it. 

The result: a nearly 78% decrease in the demand for plastic cutlery with delivery orders compared to baseline.

Are you aware of any other nudges that help to cut-down plastic usage? Feel free to comment or get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

From Nudge Lebanon which is a non-governmental and non-profit initiative, working to apply behavioural insights to policy challenges. They use rigorous experimental approaches and tools typically used in the field of behavioural economics, such as randomised controlled trials. 

The nudges were tested in an experiment during Liseberg’s high season in the summer of 2019. Sales data were measured over a period of three weeks before, and three weeks after the implementation of the nudge. Throughout the period, the dishes offered on the menu remained the same. The experiment only changed the names of the vegetarian dishes and the placement on the menu. 

To address the issue of vegetarian options being perceived as less attractive due to naming and ingredient descriptions, an experiment was conducted to test a more appealing framing.

For example, „Soy steak“ was renamed „Summer plate“.This was further reinforced by placing the vegetarian dishes at the top of the menu and framing them as „Taube’s favourites“.

The result: the sale of vegetarian dishes at Café Taube increased by 76% and the sales of the Summer Plate, which was previously called Soy steak, increased by 275%.

It is evident once again that to influence pro-environmental behaviour among the mainstream, we must make the sustainable option both easily accessible and enjoyable to choose!

Are you aware of any other nudges that promote environmental-friendly diets? Get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

The Behavior Lab (Beteendelabbet in Swedish) is the first Swedish consulting firm to use applied behavioural science to tackle societal challenges. For about 10 years they have designed interventions based on their interdisciplinary framework, The Behavioral Journey, which combines psychology, service design, and behavioural economics for a wide range of industries and organisations. Their framework was published in their book, Nudging in Practice – How Organisations Make It Easier to Do the Right Thing, in 2019.