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How Does Behavioural Economics Work In The Lunchroom?

Even though most people have heard of the Nudge Theory at least once, it is not so common to come across a real life application of this principle.

Nudge Theory, developed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, is a behavioral economics concept that suggests subtle changes in how choices are presented can significantly influence people’s decisions without restricting their freedom of choice. The “nudges” aim to guide individuals toward decisions that are beneficial for them and their communities by making those choices easier and more accessible. 

Whether we realize it or not, a great number of our daily decisions are affected by the Nudge Theory: from ordering our morning coffee to deciding which email to open first, this theory is basically everywhere. It is clear that a good use of this principle could bring substantial social, economical and even environmental benefits to our society. 

An interesting example in this regard is the Leeks Beckett University study, conducted in 2015, in which researchers implemented small changes in a secondary school canteen to encourage healthier food choices. 

The “nudges” consisted in:

  1. The use of daily posters and fun images to encourage the consumption of healthier food. 
  2. A different placement of these food and snacks, positioning them at eye-level shelves to capture the attention of the kids.
  3. An enhancement of the aesthetic of healthy plates to make them more appealing. 

These 3 simple changes led to significant results: the consumption of vegetarian and plant-based options grew considerably, as did the general demand for fruit, vegetables, and salads. 

The school kitchen served 980 students and operated a three-week menu cycle of freshly prepared meals with two daily specials, one of which was a vegetarian option.

In order to evaluate the impact of the study, the students’ food choices were compared across three periods: a 29-week baseline, a six-week trial, and a three-week post-trial period. Point-of-sale data, collected through the schools’ cashless payment systems, was used to monitor students’ selections.

The 18-month research study proved that, by the end of the two-week period trial in the school canteen, students were two and a half times more likely to choose greener plates, even though the actual offer of the school did not change.

“School canteens in UK secondary schools are often time-pressured environments – rendering food choice even more susceptible to automatic decision-making.  During our study we found that simple changes to the way food was presented and packaged in the school canteen had a significant effect on students’ selections towards more favourable food options.  Results from our research have shown that ‘nudge’ strategies, which don’t remove the freedom to choose, can be really effective in promoting better food choices and changing behaviour”; these were the words of Dr. Ensaff, the leader of the research funded by the Alpro Foundation, when speaking about the study. (Dr. Ensaff, 2015)

Within the same year, the “Kent School District initiative” was also launched. Based in Washington D.C., the district collaborated with the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs to apply similar behavioral economics principles in their cafeterias. This case was also successful, further proving that intervention strategies based on behavioural economics can effectively transform school nutrition.

Now, over 29.000 schools in the United States have implemented behavioural nudge interventions aimed at improving school meals. These efforts are part of the growing Smarter Lunchrooms Movement, which combines insights from behavioural economics and marketing to reduce food waste while improving the selection and consumption of healthy foods by school students.

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