The results from scientific literature are in: not only is DefaultVeg an effective, evidence-based intervention, but it can benefit nearly all of the groups involved: food service vendors, consumers, animals, and the climate and environment. But just because it works doesn’t mean we can’t make it better. Here are our research-backed tips on how to ensure your nudges are as effective as possible.
A study at one university, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, found that when a plant-based default wasn’t instituted correctly, people still ordered the same amount of meat. In that instance, the reason for the subpar execution seems mostly due to understaffing and poor server training. The cafeteria workers did not properly display the food options, and the signage, and even occasionally spoke negatively about the plant-based options to patrons, which likely harmed the impact of the DefaultVeg intervention.
One expert we spoke to mentioned that they wished they had been more upfront with their university about the training required—without proper buy-in, cafeteria staff weren’t able to implement the program well. So make sure to have honest, open conversations with staff about your DefaultVeg or nudge intervention! Listen to their input, answer their questions, and clearly express your expectations of team members and the benefits of DefaultVeg.
Overall, most studies we reviewed showed that items labeled “vegan” were chosen less frequently than alternatives. For example, studies show that winning alternatives to those terms include synonyms like “plant-based”, the basic “healthy”, or “sustainable” to the more creative “Environmentally Friendly Main Courses for a Happy Planet” (which uses wording to invoke both sustainability and positivity), or “juicy American burger” (which pinpoints the texture and origin of the food).
Among the best naming options: simply describe how the food tastes! A pair of studies that measured the effectiveness of highlighting the food’s taste over healthfulness found that taste won out by a fair margin: 38% and 29% in both studies.
Another tactic can be to highlight the dish’s origin: in a real-world test, changing a Panera item from “Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup” to “Cuban Black Bean Soup” resulted in a 13% sales bump.
According to one experiment, adding the environmental impact next to each food item can get some people, especially women, to choose the more sustainable veg options. This might be an ideal strategy for climate-conscious conferences and similar venues.
Most studies on the words “vegan” vs. other terms like “plant-based” are conducted in the U.S. and Europe, so we don’t know if their findings translate to the Global South, where experts Faunalytics spoke with actually prefer to use the word “vegan.” They argue that using “vegan” allows the movement to become more salient and legitimate, outweighing the potential disadvantages the label sees in the U.S. and Europe. We do not know of any data bearing on that empirical claim, but it’s worth noting the caveat.
But in regions with a high understanding of veganism, that word just doesn’t seem to cut it. So what does? One thesis found that modified animal meat terms (like chick’n) made the foods seem more familiar and appealing within the meat section, and both terms like “plant-based chicken” and “chick’n” increased willingness to buy over veggie-based terms like “veggie chicken.”
However, smaller tweaks to menu design may not be noticed by diners. In one restaurant study, only around 36% of diners noticed a message indicating the growing popularity of vegetarian dishes in the top-right corner of a menu. So be wary of having the nudges be too tiny.
So, at least in the Global North, let’s avoid “vegan” and use the other options: “sustainable,” “healthy,” and “plant-based” are all fine, but describing the dish’s flavor, texture, look, and cultural origin often work even better!
Men are more likely to opt out of DefaultVeg options and less likely to be swayed by plant-based nudges. But this isn’t a dealbreaker! If your audience is disproportionately men or another group prone to eating meat, you might need to add some extra framing to ensure success.
Generally, men don’t like the words “vegan” or “plant-based,” but might be more accepting of words like “direct protein” or “high protein.” However, while another study showed that stereotypically masculine labels (like “meaty” or “beast”) overall caused both men and women to find the food more suitable for men, it didn’t make them more likely to view the food more favorably. (One notable exception: Men who the authors identify with “new masculinity” did find the food more favorable.) So, the evidence is mixed on macho menus, but the good news is that masculine words didn’t backfire—so it’s worth a shot!
There are other strategies to entice men and veg-avoiders. One option may be to highlight the veg dish as the “chef’s selection,” which was successful in one study at convincing veg-avoiders to eat the veg dish. Other studies find that increasing the proportion of options that were veg-based increased total veg orders for all demographics, meat-lovers included.
Nudges are great, but they can work even better when paired with education, reflection, or a pledge. In one field study, university students were nudged via food labels and then sent emails asking them to reflect on the nudge or the climate impact of their diet—those who were given the nudges and the reflection ordered the least amount of meat. And another online study found that asking a participant to commit to a pledge to change their eating habits before a nudge significantly increased their intention to order a plant-based option.
Depending on the context, you might easily integrate automated reflection emails, posters, or questionnaires into an existing campaign, and this extra reflection may reduce meat consumption even further!
As a shock to no one, people tend to choose food they like! Make sure to put thought into the DefaultVeg options; if they’re not appealing, the success rate falls quickly. Most of the studies we looked at were careful to only test appetizing plant-based options, so all the benefits described above are contingent on tasty food.
It’s more than taste, though. A big appeal of DefaultVeg programs is that plant-based options are more inclusive—in a world where about 68% of people can’t digest cow’s milk and many people have religious, ethical, or health-related reasons for avoiding eating animals, PBDs offer a more inclusive alternative. Advocates shouldn’t squander this appeal! Make the veg dishes allergy-friendly, and don’t put nuts or soy in every dish.
Nudges are a broad category and even include some more out-of-the-box ideas. One study found that having more plants and an herbal odor in the dining hall reduced university students’ meat consumption by 42%! This works because of priming—basically the situational cues that may unconsciously drive subsequent behavior.
A student thesis found that showing people a cartoon video of a character physically looking at the vegan options made flexitarians more likely to choose them—the cartoon even gave a thumbs up when the person chose each vegan option. These nudges make people more likely to physically view the vegan option, which increases the odds that they buy it. This might not work in all situations, but don’t be afraid to get creative in the ways you draw diners’ attention to plant-based options!
Finally, shrinking the size of serving spoons could reduce meat intake. In one study, making the spoon that served burrito meat fillings 25% smaller reduced the meat intake by 18%—but making the spoon half as large actually ended up backfiring. So if you reduce the sizes of utensils or plates, be wary of overdoing it and making consumers unhappy.
Just like with Star Wars marathons and Spotify playlists, order is everything! In particular, dishes placed at the top or bottom of a menu can increase their popularity by up to two times and may reduce the amount of meat sold by up to 11% when that first option is veg-based.
The order of a buffet line matters as well. Fruits and veggies, when separated and sold at the front of a buffet, were more likely to be picked up. Another study found that foods placed on the edges of a buffet (and thus easier to access) were more likely to be chosen by consumers.
All in all, veg items need to be first, last, or somehow prominently displayed in order to be ordered in high amounts.
Defaults and nudges are a popular and highly effective intervention to reduce the amount of meat consumed in a food service setting and are thus a powerful tool to increase sustainability at scale, without sacrificing the freedom of choice.
If you are an advocate seeking to bring plant-based defaults to your community or your outreach work, you can contact Better Food Foundation at [email protected] for resources and support. College and university students can also sign up for BFF’s immersive student ambassador program. If you are an internal ally (meaning you have a professional relationship with a key decision maker) in a workplace, hospital, or other venue involving foodservice and are interested in helping install a plant-based default, Greener By Default invites you to reach out at [email protected].
If you have questions about the research, we encourage you to contact the Faunalytics team or visit their Office Hours.
This resource was written by staff and volunteers from Faunalytics, Better Food Foundation, and Greener by Default.
As the leaves change this fall, so do menus at universities nationwide — with plant-based foods rising to the top.
DefaultVeg an effective, evidence-based intervention, and it can benefit nearly all of the groups involved: food service vendors, consumers, animals, and the climate and environment. But just because it works doesn’t mean we can’t make it better. Here are our research-backed tips on how to ensure your nudges are as effective as possible.