Promoting sustainable diets using eco-labelling and social nudges

A Randomised Online Experiment

Bibliographic Data

ID6416484
AuthorsKatie De‐loyde (University of Bristol, corresponding author), M Pilling (0000-0002-7446-6597, University of Cambridge), Amelia Thornton (0000-0002-3383-391X, University of Bristol), Gary Spencer (0000-0002-6160-7776, University of Bristol), Olivia Maynard (0000-0002-9048-6627, University of Bristol)
Year2022
Volume9
Issue2
Pages426-442
Publication date2022-09-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehavioural Public Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2398-063X • E-ISSN: 2398-0648
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/bpp.2022.27
OpenAlexW4295182821
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited30

This randomised online experiment aimed to investigate how eco-labelling and social nudging influenced sustainable food choice, as well as consider the effect of motivation to act sustainably. Participants were UK adults ≥18 years ( n = 1399). Participants were asked to choose a hypothetical meal (beef, chicken or vegetarian burrito) and were randomly allocated to one of three conditions varying in labelling: eco-labelling; social nudge or control (no label). Co-primary outcomes were the frequency that the vegetarian and chicken burritos were chosen (i.e., the more sustainable food choices). There was evidence that more vegetarian (OR = 3.3 [95% CI 2.0, 5.3]) and chicken (OR = 2.5 [95% CI 1.8, 3.4]) burrito choices were made in the eco-label condition, over the beef burrito, compared to the control condition. In the social nudge condition, there was evidence that participants chose a vegetarian burrito over a beef burrito (OR = 1.7 [95% CI 1.1, 2.7]), but not a vegetarian burrito over a chicken burrito (OR = 1.4 [95% CI 0.9, 2.2]). Although both labels were effective at promoting participants to make more sustainable food choices, the eco-label was the most effective. Choice of burrito was modified by motivation to act sustainably across all conditions. This study suggests that future policy could include eco-labelling and/or a social nudge to reduce meat consumption and meet global climate change targets

Biology · Business · Food choice · Food labelling · Labelling · Meal · Nudge theory · Sustainability · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Food Science