!

Choice!architect:!“A!person!responsible!for!organizing!how!other!people!make!decisions.!Choice!architects!recognize!that!"neutral"!design!is!impossible!and!that!seemingly!arbitrary!decisions!–!such!as!putting!healthy!food!options!at!eye!level!?!are!of!enormous!importance”!(www.nudges.org/glossary.cfm).!

Choices!architects!create!or!influence!the!environment!in!which!many!features,!noticed!and!unnoticed,!can!indirectly!influence!decisions.!

Examples!of!choice!architects:!

• a!parent!preparing!dinner!

• a!cafeteria!manager!choosing!the!placement!of!foods!

• a!government!official!creating!public!policy!

• a!school!teacher!designing!the!classroom!

• a!grocery!store!manager!arranging!the!produce!section!

Choice!architecture:!Designing!places,!programs,!or!policies!to!nudge!people!towards!healthier!behaviors.!!!(www.nudges.org/glossary.cfm).!

Nudges:!Environmental!cues!or!structures!that!influence!people!to!behave!in!certain!ways.!!

Examples!of!nudges!in!the!cafeteria!setting:!

• Nudge!with!Facilities!and!Processes:!Make!the!vegetable!the!“default”!side!dish!when!serving!trays,!make!less!healthy!side!dishes!available!by!request.!Students!will!often!take!the!foods!that!are!automatically!given!to!them!and!few!will!request!a!different!side.!

• Nudge!with!Food:!Offer!choices!of!a!variety!of!color,!textures!and!shapes!each!day.!Not!all!students!will!like!a!specific!fruit!or!vegetable.!Increasing!the!variety!of!available!items!every!day!may!increase!the!chance!that!students!will!select!a!fruit!and!vegetable.!

• Nudge!with!People:!Prompt!students!to!select!healthy!options.!Instead!of!waiting!for!students!to!request!healthy!items,!ask!them!if!they!would!like!to!have!the!vegetable!and!fruit!selections.!Verbal!prompting!increases!the!selection!and!consumption!of!targeted!foods!significantly.!

• Nudge!with!Incentives:!Encourage!students!to!try!new!foods.!Offer!“I!tried!it!”!stickers!to!students!who!select!and!taste!a!new!food.!

Nudges towards a Healthy Choice

Name% Summary% Research/Impact% Link%Baby%Carrots% Baby%carrot%farmers%are%launching%a%campaign%that%pitches%

the%little,%orange,%crunchy%snacks%as%daring,%fun%and%naughty%—%just%like%junk%food.%The%goal%is%to%get%people%to%think%of%baby%carrots%as%a%brand%they%can%get%excited%about%—%not%just%a%plain,%old%vegetable.%

Television%ads%depict%futuristic%scientists%studying%crunch,%a%woman%lusting%after%carrots%and%carrot%sports%featuring%a%young%man%who%launches%off%a%snowy%mountain%top%in%a%grocery%cart%and%catches%in%his%mouth%a%carrot%shot%by%a%gun%below.%There%are%also%billboards%with%messages%like%"Our%crunch%can%beat%up%your%crunch"%and%carrot%vending%machines%in%schools.%

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38972945/ns/businessconsumer_news//%

www.babycarrots.com%

Lighting%Techniques%in%Cafeterias%

Researcher%Ann%Ferris%of%the%University%of%Connecticut%uses%the%kind%of%fancy%lighting%techniques%you'd%see%in%the%aisles%of%Whole%Foods%to%“nudge”%students%through%visual%cues.%%

%

"All%of%the%schools%we're%working%in%use%fluorescent%lighting.%That%doesn't%make%somebody%look%good%in%an%office%environment,"%says%Ferris.%"It%doesn't%make%food%look%good%either."%

She's%going%to%document%what%happens%when%school%cafeterias%switch%to%specialty%bulbs%that%enhance%color%and%spotlight%foods%that%are%healthy.%%

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130732347%%

Cafeteria%Food%Placement%

“Without%changing%any%menus,%they%would%run%some%experiments%in%the%schools%to%determine%whether%the%way%the%food%is%displayed%and%arranged%might%influence%the%choices%kids%make.”%

"Self[attribution,"%which%is%a%fancy%way%of%saying%that%when%people%believe%they%are%making%their%own%choices,%they%are%happier%with%the%outcome.%In%other%words,%when%students%think%they%are%choosing%to%eat%carrots,%they%like%them%better%and%are%more%likely%to%choose%them%outside%the%lunchroom%as%well.%

“Simply%by%rearranging%the%cafeteria,%[the%director]%was%able%to%increase%or%decrease%the%consumption%of%many%food%items%by%as%much%as%25%percent.”%

Food%placement%also%can%drastically%affect%what%students%choose%to%eat.%At%one%Minnesota%school,%chips,%granola%bars%and%desserts%were%available%by%the%cash%register,%where%there%was%often%a%long%wait.%As%a%result,%many%students%picked%up%the%snacks%on%impulse.%When%the%school%replaced%the%snacks%with%fresh%fruit%near%the%cash%register,%sales%patterns%changed.%More%students%bought%fruit,%fewer%bought%the%snacks.%The%school’s%total%revenue%remained%about%the%same.%

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all[we[can[eat/food[politics/the[freakonomics[of[school[lun.html%

%

Traffic%Light%Labeling%

Researchers%created%a%simple%traffic%light%system%ranking%for%levels%of%total%fat,%saturated%fat,%sugar%and%sodium.%They%compared%these%labels%against%other%more%detailed%and%complicated%labels,%which%provided%specific%information%on%the%percentage%daily%intake%of%bad%items%like%fat%and%sodium,%and%good%items%like%protein%and%fiber%found%in%each%food%item.%Some%of%the%daily%intake%labels%used%a%traffic%light%color[coding%as%well.%

Results%from%the%study%indicate%that%Traffic%Light%food%labeling%allows%consumers%to%correctly%identify%healthier%food%products,%and%assists%customers%to%make%comparisons%between%products%easily.%

http://nudges.org/?s=adapting+traffic+lights+to+food+packaging%

www.cancercouncil.com.au/html/prevention/healthyeating/downloads/foodlabelling_frontofpack_surveyreport.pdf%

%

Name% Summary% Research/Impact% Link%

Fewer%Holes,%Less%Salt%

“At%least%six%councils%have%ordered%five[hole%shakers%–%at%taxpayers’%expense%–%and%begun%giving%them%away%to%chip%shops%and%takeaways%in%their%areas.%Leading%the%way%has%been%Gateshead%Council,%which%spent%15%days%researching%the%subject%of%salty%takeaways%before%declaring%the%new%five[hole%cellars%the%solution.”%%

“Research%has%suggested%that%slashing%the%holes%from%the%traditional%17%to%five%could%cut%the%amount%people%sprinkle%on%their%food%by%more%than%half.”%

http://nudges.org/2008/08/05/take[it[with[a[few[less[grains[of[salt/%

Cafeteria%Food%Placement%

The%director%of%food%services%for%a%large%city%school%system%and%a%statistically%oriented%management%consultant%who%has%worked%with%supermarket%chains%hatched%an%interesting%idea.%“Without%changing%any%menus,%they%would%run%some%experiments%in%the%schools%to%determine%whether%the%way%the%food%is%displayed%and%arranged%might%influence%the%choices%kids%make.”%%

“They%suspected%they%might%find%dramatic%results,%and%they%were%right.%“Simply%by%rearranging%the%cafeteria,%[the%director]%was%able%to%increase%or%decrease%the%consumption%of%many%food%items%by%as%much%as%25%percent.”%

Thaler%&%Sunstein,%2009%

Food%Packages%and%Branding%

Food%packages%and%branding%influence%children’s%expectations%and%experiences%of%food.%%Children%were%given%foods%and%beverages%in%McDonald’s%packaging%and%foods%in%identical%but%unbranded%packaging.%%%

McDonald’s%packaged%foods%were%preferred,%with%children%twice%as%likely%to%prefer%McDonald’s%packaged%carrots%even%though%McDonald’s%doesn’t%offer%carrots%in%their%restaurants.%%Children%who%watch%TV%or%eat%fast%food%often%were%more%likely%to%prefer%the%branded%foods.%

http://archpedi.ama[assn.org/cgi/content/full/161/8/792%

Eating%Environments%

This%study%looks%at%various%environmental%factors,%i.e.%lighting,%odor,%plate/package%size,%and%variety,%and%their%potential%impact%on%consumption%and%health%related%behaviors.%

Dimmed%or%soft%lighting%appears%to%influence%consumption%in%two%different%ways:%by%increasing%eating%duration,%and%by%increasing%comfort%and%disinhibition.%Unpleasant%ambient%odors%are%likely%to%shorten%the%duration%of%a%meal%and%to%suppress%food%consumption.%%

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=518902%

%

Trayless%Cafeterias%%

“Cafeteria%managers%have%been%taking%a%keen%interest%in%reducing%food%waste.%Seeing%how%easy%it%is%to%load%up%a%tray%with%extra%food%that%often%goes%uneaten%and%extra%napkins%that%go%unused.”%

Curious%managers%and%students%at%Alfred%University%in%New%York%tested%a%trayless%policy%over%two%days.%When%trays%weren’t%offered,%food%and%beverage%waste%dropped%between%20%and%50%percent!%This%amounts%to%about%1,000%pounds%of%solid%waste%and%112%gallons%of%liquid%waste%saved%on%a%weekly%basis,%according%to%the%college.%

The%effect%of%this%policy%has%been%as%much%as%50%percent%reductions%in%food%waste.%Without%as%many%trays%to%wash,%water%consumption%has%undoubtedly%fallen%as%well.%%

www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/nyregion/29tray.html%

%

www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008[07[22[trays[college[cafeterias_N.htm%

%