Rachel Pechey
Biographic Data
| ID | 1738759 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel Pechey |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel |
| FAMILY NAME | Pechey |
| SIGNATURE | PECHEY R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Cambridge |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6558-388X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 81 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 39 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Does unmatching meat and plant-based meals change plant-based meal selection? An evaluation in an online hypothetical randomised trial
Combining positioning and labelling interventions for healthier and more environmentally sustainable products
Population diets need to become healthier and more sustainable to limit their negative effects on health and environment. This study assessed the effect of a positioning intervention, in isolation and in combination with a labelling intervention, on the a) healthiness and b) environmental sustainability of food choices in an experimental online supermarket. Participants (n = 2220) were randomly assigned to one of five trials groups (control; heal…
Does the range of ecolabels on offer alter their impact on meal selection? An online randomised control trial
Registered 6/6/2023 on the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/69xct/ )
Testing the effect of ecolabels on the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias
The study was pre-registered prospectively on ISRCTN ( https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10268258 ; 06/01/2022)
Healthy eating interventions conducted in small, local restaurants and hot food takeaways
Objective: This systematic review investigates the characteristics, effectiveness and acceptability of interventions to encourage healthier eating in small, independent restaurants and takeaways. Design: We searched five databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index) in June 2022. Eligible studies had to measure changes in sales, availability, nutritional quality, portion sizes or dietary…
Meating your match
Do promotions of healthier or more sustainable foods increase sales? Findings from three natural experiments in UK supermarkets
During promotional campaigns there was evidence that sales of plant-based products increased, but not seasonal fruits. There was no evidence for any sustained change beyond the intervention period
Increasing the Availability of Vegetarian Meals in Worksite Cafeterias – a randomized controlled trial
Testing the effect of a dynamic descriptive social norm message on meat-free food selection in worksite cafeterias
The Effects of Healthier Food Price Reductions and Labelling on Purchase Choices and the Influence of Socioeconomic Position
Changing the availability and positioning of more vs. less environmentally sustainable products
Food purchasing behaviours are shaped by the choices available to shoppers and the way they are offered for sale. This study tested whether prominent positioning of more sustainable food items online and increasing their relative availability might reduce the environmental impact of foods selected in a 2x2 (availability x position) factorial randomised controlled trial. Participants (n = 1179) selected items in a shopping task in an experimental …
Ethnic differences in meat consumption attitudes, norms and behaviors
A reduction in meat consumption is necessary to mitigate negative impacts of climate change and adverse health outcomes. The UK has an increasingly multi-ethnic population, yet there is little research on meat consumption habits and attitudes among ethnic groups in the UK. We ran a survey (N = 1014) with quota samples for ethnic groups and analyzed attitudes, behaviors and norm perceptions of White, South Asian and Black British respondents. Most…
Retracted
Nutrition labels and ecolabels can support consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices, and the former is now widespread. But there is no information on the impact of ecolabels in the presence of nutrition labels. The aims of this study were primarily to examine whether (1) ecolabels are effective at promoting sustainable purchasing behaviour if presented alongside nutrition labels; (2) and secondarily, whether nutrition labels are e…
The impact of price promotions on confectionery and snacks on the energy content of shopping baskets
Overconsumption of foods high in fat, sugars, and salt (HFSS) poses a significant risk to health. The government in England has passed legislation that would limit some price promotions of HFSS foods within supermarkets, but evidence regarding likely impacts of these policies, especially in online settings, is limited. This study aimed to determine whether there were any differences in the energy and nutrient content of shopping baskets after rem…
Explaining the effect on food selection of altering availability
ISRCTN ( http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN27598623 ; 3/12/19 [Study 1]; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN61010183 ; 20/4/20 [Study 2])
A dynamic social norm messaging intervention to reduce meat consumption
Perceptions of social norms around eating behavior can influence food choices. Communicating information about how others are changing their eating behavior over time (dynamic descriptive social norms) may motivate individuals to change their own food selection and consumption. Following a four-week baseline period, 22 in-store restaurants of a major retail chain across the UK were randomized to display a dynamic descriptive social norm message i…
Testing the effectiveness of ecolabels to reduce the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias
1. Introduction Meeting global climate targets will require a marked reduction in environmental impacts caused by dietary patterns (Willett et al., 2019), with several UK supermarkets setting targets to halve the environmental impact of customers' food shopping by 2030 (Lee, 2021). The environmental impacts of different types of foods are highly variable, and variation in impact is also seen for a given food. For example, there is a 50-fold varia…
Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection
ISRCTN: ISRCTN34626166 ; 11/06/2018; Retrospectively registered
Size and shape of plates and size of wine glasses and bottles
Smaller tableware (i.e. plates and wine glasses) decreases the amount of food and wine self-served in an initial serving. Future studies are required to generate estimates on selection and consumption in real world settings when numerous servings are possible. Protocol registration information: OSF ( https://osf.io/dj3c6/ ) and ISRCTN ( https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN66774780 )
Impact of altering the available food options on selection
Increasing the availability of lower-energy foods increases their selection. The current studies examine the extent to which this effect could be mediated by social norms – assessed by perceived popularity of foods – which may be implied by their relative availability. Study 1 (Online): 2340 UK adults estimated the perceived popularity of products. Participants were randomised to see photos of cafeteria shelves varying in the availability of lowe…
Straight-sided beer and cider glasses to reduce alcohol sales for on-site consumption
BACKGROUND: Straight-sided glasses can slow the rate of lager consumption in a laboratory setting compared with curved glasses. Slower drinking rates may lower overall alcohol consumption. Glass shape is therefore a potential target for intervention. The aim of this randomised crossover trial was to estimate the impact of serving draught beer and cider in straight-sided glasses, compared with usual, predominantly curved glasses, on alcohol sales …
The impact of ‘on-pack’ pictorial health warning labels and calorie information labels on drink choice
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are one of the largest added sugar sources to diets in the UK and USA. Health warning labels reduce hypothetical selection of SSBs in online studies but uncertainty surrounds their impact on selection of drinks for consumption. Calorie information labels are also promising but their impact on SSB selection is unclear. This laboratory study assessed the impact on SSB selection of 'on-pack' labels placed directly on…
Increasing the proportion of healthier foods available with and without reducing portion sizes and energy purchased in worksite cafeterias
The study was prospectively registered on ISRCTN (date: 24.05.19; TRN: ISRCTN87225572; doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN87225572)
Impact of increasing the proportion of healthier foods available on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias
Increasing the proportion of healthier foods available could encourage healthier consumption, but evidence to date is limited in scope and quality. The current study aimed to: (a) examine the feasibility and acceptability of intervening to change product availability in worksite cafeterias; and (b) estimate the impact on energy purchased of increasing the proportion of healthier (i.e. lower energy) cooked meals, snacks, cold drinks and sandwiches…
What is the impact of increasing the prominence of calorie labelling? A stepped wedge randomised controlled pilot trial in worksite cafeterias
BACKGROUND: Calorie labelling may help to reduce energy consumption, but few well-controlled experimental studies have been conducted in real world settings. In a previous randomised controlled pilot trial we did not observe an effect of calorie labelling on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias. In the present study we sought to enhance the effect by making the labels more prominent, and to address the operational challenges reported previousl…
Socioeconomic differences in purchases of more vs. less healthy foods and beverages
Sales impact of displaying alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in end-of-aisle locations
Public acceptability of population-level interventions to reduce alcohol consumption
Making food labels social
Recent studies report that using green labels to denote healthier foods, and red to denote less healthy foods increases consumption of green- and decreases consumption of red-labelled foods. Other symbols (e.g. emoticons conveying normative approval and disapproval) could also be used to signal the healthiness and/or acceptability of consuming such products. The present study tested the combined effects of using emoticons and colours on labels am…
Why don't poor men eat fruit? Socioeconomic differences in motivations for fruit consumption
BACKGROUND: Those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have less healthy diets than those of higher SES. This study aimed to assess whether differences in motivations for particular foods might contribute to socioeconomic differences in consumption. METHODS: Participants (n = 732) rated their frequency of consumption and explicit liking of fruit, cake and cheese. They reported eating motivations (e.g., health, hunger, price) and related at…
A dynamic social norm messaging intervention to reduce meat consumption
Perceptions of social norms around eating behavior can influence food choices. Communicating information about how others are changing their eating behavior over time (dynamic descriptive social norms) may motivate individuals to change their own food selection and consumption. Following a four-week baseline period, 22 in-store restaurants of a major retail chain across the UK were randomized to display a dynamic descriptive social norm message i…
Impact of altering the available food options on selection
Increasing the availability of lower-energy foods increases their selection. The current studies examine the extent to which this effect could be mediated by social norms – assessed by perceived popularity of foods – which may be implied by their relative availability. Study 1 (Online): 2340 UK adults estimated the perceived popularity of products. Participants were randomised to see photos of cafeteria shelves varying in the availability of lowe…
What is the impact of increasing the prominence of calorie labelling? A stepped wedge randomised controlled pilot trial in worksite cafeterias
BACKGROUND: Calorie labelling may help to reduce energy consumption, but few well-controlled experimental studies have been conducted in real world settings. In a previous randomised controlled pilot trial we did not observe an effect of calorie labelling on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias. In the present study we sought to enhance the effect by making the labels more prominent, and to address the operational challenges reported previousl…
Impact of increasing the proportion of healthier foods available on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias
Increasing the proportion of healthier foods available could encourage healthier consumption, but evidence to date is limited in scope and quality. The current study aimed to: (a) examine the feasibility and acceptability of intervening to change product availability in worksite cafeterias; and (b) estimate the impact on energy purchased of increasing the proportion of healthier (i.e. lower energy) cooked meals, snacks, cold drinks and sandwiches…
Retracted
Nutrition labels and ecolabels can support consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices, and the former is now widespread. But there is no information on the impact of ecolabels in the presence of nutrition labels. The aims of this study were primarily to examine whether (1) ecolabels are effective at promoting sustainable purchasing behaviour if presented alongside nutrition labels; (2) and secondarily, whether nutrition labels are e…
Testing the effectiveness of ecolabels to reduce the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias
1. Introduction Meeting global climate targets will require a marked reduction in environmental impacts caused by dietary patterns (Willett et al., 2019), with several UK supermarkets setting targets to halve the environmental impact of customers' food shopping by 2030 (Lee, 2021). The environmental impacts of different types of foods are highly variable, and variation in impact is also seen for a given food. For example, there is a 50-fold varia…
The impact of ‘on-pack’ pictorial health warning labels and calorie information labels on drink choice
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are one of the largest added sugar sources to diets in the UK and USA. Health warning labels reduce hypothetical selection of SSBs in online studies but uncertainty surrounds their impact on selection of drinks for consumption. Calorie information labels are also promising but their impact on SSB selection is unclear. This laboratory study assessed the impact on SSB selection of 'on-pack' labels placed directly on…
Exploring the Folk Understanding of Belief
Folk psychological accounts consider beliefs to be shared assumptions or internally represented theories that guide or inform the explanations and predictions about what people say and do. There are numerous studies that explore people's beliefs on health, politics, religion, paranormal phenomena and delusional themes, but this paper describes the first study to explicitly evaluate if the general population share a relatively consistent definitio…
Changing the availability and positioning of more vs. less environmentally sustainable products
Food purchasing behaviours are shaped by the choices available to shoppers and the way they are offered for sale. This study tested whether prominent positioning of more sustainable food items online and increasing their relative availability might reduce the environmental impact of foods selected in a 2x2 (availability x position) factorial randomised controlled trial. Participants (n = 1179) selected items in a shopping task in an experimental …
Ethnic differences in meat consumption attitudes, norms and behaviors
A reduction in meat consumption is necessary to mitigate negative impacts of climate change and adverse health outcomes. The UK has an increasingly multi-ethnic population, yet there is little research on meat consumption habits and attitudes among ethnic groups in the UK. We ran a survey (N = 1014) with quota samples for ethnic groups and analyzed attitudes, behaviors and norm perceptions of White, South Asian and Black British respondents. Most…
Obesity under affluence varies by welfare regimes
Exploring the Folk Understanding of Belief
Folk psychological accounts consider beliefs to be shared assumptions or internally represented theories that guide or inform the explanations and predictions about what people say and do. There are numerous studies that explore people's beliefs on health, politics, religion, paranormal phenomena and delusional themes, but this paper describes the first study to explicitly evaluate if the general population share a relatively consistent definitio…
Impact of plain packaging of tobacco products on smoking in adults and children
In the absence of direct evidence for the impact of introducing plain packaging on smoking rates in adults and children, this study shows that tobacco control experts felt the most likely outcomes would be a reduction in smoking prevalence in adults, and a greater reduction in the numbers of children trying smoking, although there was substantial variability in the estimated size of these impacts. No experts judged an increase in smoking as a lik…
Socioeconomic differences in purchases of more vs. less healthy foods and beverages
Public acceptability of population-level interventions to reduce alcohol consumption
Sales impact of displaying alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in end-of-aisle locations
Making food labels social
Recent studies report that using green labels to denote healthier foods, and red to denote less healthy foods increases consumption of green- and decreases consumption of red-labelled foods. Other symbols (e.g. emoticons conveying normative approval and disapproval) could also be used to signal the healthiness and/or acceptability of consuming such products. The present study tested the combined effects of using emoticons and colours on labels am…
Why don't poor men eat fruit? Socioeconomic differences in motivations for fruit consumption
BACKGROUND: Those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have less healthy diets than those of higher SES. This study aimed to assess whether differences in motivations for particular foods might contribute to socioeconomic differences in consumption. METHODS: Participants (n = 732) rated their frequency of consumption and explicit liking of fruit, cake and cheese. They reported eating motivations (e.g., health, hunger, price) and related at…
Socioeconomic inequalities in the healthiness of food choices
Investigations of the contribution of food costs to socioeconomic inequalities in diet quality may have been limited by the use of estimated (vs. actual) food expenditures, not accounting for where individuals shop, and possible reverse mediation between food expenditures and healthiness of food choices. This study aimed to explore the extent to which food expenditure mediates socioeconomic inequalities in the healthiness of household food choice…
Does wine glass size influence sales for on-site consumption? A multiple treatment reversal design
ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN12018175 . Registered 12(th) May 2015
Micro-drinking behaviours and consumption of wine in different wine glass sizes
These findings provide no support for the hypothesised mechanisms by which serving wine in larger wine glasses increases consumption. While micro-drinking behaviours may still prove to be a mechanism explaining consumption from different glass sizes, cross-validation of these results in a more naturalistic setting is needed
Impact of bottle size on in-home consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
ISRCTN14964130 ; Registered on 18th May, 2015
Availability of healthier vs. less healthy food and food choice
This study provides a novel test of the impact of healthier vs. less healthy food cues on food choice, suggesting that less healthy food cues have a larger effect than healthier ones. Consequently, removing less healthy as opposed to adding healthier food options could have greater impact on healthier choices. Studies are now needed in which choices are made between physically-present foods
Perceived impact of smaller compared with larger-sized bottles of sugar-sweetened beverages on consumption
Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption increases obesity risk and is linked to adverse health consequences. Large packages increase food consumption, but most evidence comes from studies comparing larger with standard packages, resulting in uncertainty regarding the impact of smaller packages. There is also little research on beverages. This qualitative study explores the experiences of consuming cola from smaller compared with larger bottles…
Increasing the proportion of healthier foods available with and without reducing portion sizes and energy purchased in worksite cafeterias
The study was prospectively registered on ISRCTN (date: 24.05.19; TRN: ISRCTN87225572; doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN87225572)
Impact of increasing the proportion of healthier foods available on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias
Increasing the proportion of healthier foods available could encourage healthier consumption, but evidence to date is limited in scope and quality. The current study aimed to: (a) examine the feasibility and acceptability of intervening to change product availability in worksite cafeterias; and (b) estimate the impact on energy purchased of increasing the proportion of healthier (i.e. lower energy) cooked meals, snacks, cold drinks and sandwiches…
What is the impact of increasing the prominence of calorie labelling? A stepped wedge randomised controlled pilot trial in worksite cafeterias
BACKGROUND: Calorie labelling may help to reduce energy consumption, but few well-controlled experimental studies have been conducted in real world settings. In a previous randomised controlled pilot trial we did not observe an effect of calorie labelling on energy purchased in worksite cafeterias. In the present study we sought to enhance the effect by making the labels more prominent, and to address the operational challenges reported previousl…
The impact of ‘on-pack’ pictorial health warning labels and calorie information labels on drink choice
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are one of the largest added sugar sources to diets in the UK and USA. Health warning labels reduce hypothetical selection of SSBs in online studies but uncertainty surrounds their impact on selection of drinks for consumption. Calorie information labels are also promising but their impact on SSB selection is unclear. This laboratory study assessed the impact on SSB selection of 'on-pack' labels placed directly on…
Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection
ISRCTN: ISRCTN34626166 ; 11/06/2018; Retrospectively registered
Size and shape of plates and size of wine glasses and bottles
Smaller tableware (i.e. plates and wine glasses) decreases the amount of food and wine self-served in an initial serving. Future studies are required to generate estimates on selection and consumption in real world settings when numerous servings are possible. Protocol registration information: OSF ( https://osf.io/dj3c6/ ) and ISRCTN ( https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN66774780 )
Impact of altering the available food options on selection
Increasing the availability of lower-energy foods increases their selection. The current studies examine the extent to which this effect could be mediated by social norms – assessed by perceived popularity of foods – which may be implied by their relative availability. Study 1 (Online): 2340 UK adults estimated the perceived popularity of products. Participants were randomised to see photos of cafeteria shelves varying in the availability of lowe…
Straight-sided beer and cider glasses to reduce alcohol sales for on-site consumption
BACKGROUND: Straight-sided glasses can slow the rate of lager consumption in a laboratory setting compared with curved glasses. Slower drinking rates may lower overall alcohol consumption. Glass shape is therefore a potential target for intervention. The aim of this randomised crossover trial was to estimate the impact of serving draught beer and cider in straight-sided glasses, compared with usual, predominantly curved glasses, on alcohol sales …
Explaining the effect on food selection of altering availability
ISRCTN ( http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN27598623 ; 3/12/19 [Study 1]; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN61010183 ; 20/4/20 [Study 2])
A dynamic social norm messaging intervention to reduce meat consumption
Perceptions of social norms around eating behavior can influence food choices. Communicating information about how others are changing their eating behavior over time (dynamic descriptive social norms) may motivate individuals to change their own food selection and consumption. Following a four-week baseline period, 22 in-store restaurants of a major retail chain across the UK were randomized to display a dynamic descriptive social norm message i…
Testing the effectiveness of ecolabels to reduce the environmental impact of food purchases in worksite cafeterias
1. Introduction Meeting global climate targets will require a marked reduction in environmental impacts caused by dietary patterns (Willett et al., 2019), with several UK supermarkets setting targets to halve the environmental impact of customers' food shopping by 2030 (Lee, 2021). The environmental impacts of different types of foods are highly variable, and variation in impact is also seen for a given food. For example, there is a 50-fold varia…
Medicine (31 works) · Environmental health (23 works) · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling (18 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (18 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Food Science (14 works) · Business (13 works) · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact (12 works) · Demography (10 works) · Randomized controlled trial (10 works)