Promotion of novel plant-based dishes among older consumers using the ‘dish of the day’ as a nudging strategy in 4 EU countries

Abstract

A quasi-experimental study was designed to promote novel plant-based dishes using the nudging strategy 'dish of the day' among older consumers in Denmark, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Participants were presented with three dish options: veggie balls, meatballs and fish cakes. In the intervention situation, participants were informed that the 'dish of the day' was the novel plant-based 'veggie balls'. Thereafter, participants were asked to choose one of three dishes to intake and then fill a questionnaire. No statistically significant difference in dish choice was found between the control group and intervention group in the four countries. Males were less likely to choose the plant-based dish when compared with the females. Participants from the United Kingdom and Denmark were more likely to choose the plant-based dish when compared with participants from France. High scores of security dimension from the Human Value Scale was negatively associated with choice of plant-based dish, while high scores of the sensory dimension from Food Choice Questionnaire and high scores of the universalism dimension from Human Values Scale were positively related to the choice of the plant-based dish. The 'dish of the day' nudging approach did not influence older people's plant-based dish choice. Gender, country, and dimensions of sensory, universalism and security were critical factors influencing an older people's plant-based food choice.

An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews on Food Choice and Nutrition Published between 2017 and-2019

“…The implementation of nudges in real-life operations is still inconsistent. On the one hand, operationalizing among adolescents and older consumers in four EU foodservice settings the “dish-of-the-day” was unsuccessful to promote an innovative plant-based alternative to meat [69,70,71] but it was more effective in a restaurant setting and when the choices made were between unfamiliar dishes [72]. In retail settings, customers’ implicit beliefs about the relationship between taste and healthfulness, bringing reusable bags to the store, making multiple choices in a row, receiving real-time feedback on spending while on a budget, and paying with a credit/debit card are all linked to less healthy choices [29].…”

How to Effectively Encourage Sustainable Food Choices: A Mini-Review of Available Evidence

“…Some studies have found that universalism values are predictive of food choices independently of the effect of an intervention (e.g., Campbell-Arvai et al, 2014;Zhou et al, 2019) Zhou et al (2019 found that participants with stronger universalism values were more likely to choose plant-based options, irrespective of a nudge intervention. This suggests, perhaps, that for people with strong universalism values, the choice of plant-based meals is the result of deliberate decisionmaking and not easily changed by an intervention that relies more on automatic decision making.…”

“…One version of nudging consists of labeling a specific menu item as “dish of the day,” or “Chef’s recommendation.” While scenario studies (involving hypothetical meal choices) have shown promising effects of this type of nudging on vegetarian meal choices (e.g., Campbell-Arvai et al, 2014 ; Bacon and Krpan, 2018 ), experimental field studies do not seem to observe significant effects. In a randomized controlled field experiment conducted in four European countries, Zhou et al (2019) found that labeling plant-based options as “dish of the day” did not influence people’s meal choices in a restaurant setting. Study findings by dos Santos et al (2018) also indicate that a “dish of the day” nudge in cafeterias did not increase the uptake of plant-based meals.…”

Aiming for better use of convenience food: an analysis based on meal production functions at home

“…According to the UN population data, the population percentage of elderly people (≥ 65 years old) in Japan was 27% in 2017, the highest among developed countries. Previous studies [18][19][20] have demonstrated that the daily diet of the elderly is of nutritional concern. This will soon become a serious problem in Japan.…”

“…They regarded convenience food as a socially, economically, and culturally acceptable culinary innovation that is important for domestic routines. Further, against the background of a rapidly aging population in developed countries, several studies have pointed out that convenience food may improve eating habits and prevent malnutrition in the elderly [18][19][20]. A wellplanned, ready-made meal will help elderly people who lack the physical strength for cooking and who tend to have a bias in food preferences.…”