Adding a metre between meals boosts vegetarian appeal – study

fpjl2 — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 14:19:28 +0000

Meat-heavy diets not only risk our health but that of the planet, as livestock farming on a massive scale destroys habitats and generates greenhouse gases.

Conservationists at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are investigating ways of 'nudging' people towards eating more plants and less meat, to help curb the environmental damage caused by excessive consumption of animal products.

̽��ֱ��researchers experimented on customers in the cafeterias of two Cambridge colleges to find out whether the position of vegetarian options influences the uptake of plant-based dining.

They collected and analysed data from 105,143 meal selections over a two-year period, alternating the placement of meat and veg dishes every week, and then changing the pattern to every month.

̽��ֱ��size of the study is unprecedented. A previous review of various studies using 'choice architecture' to reduce meat intake only reached a combined total of 11,290 observations.

̽��ֱ��researchers found that simply placing veggie before meat in the order of meal options as people entered the serving area did little to boost green eating in one of the colleges.

In the other college, however, the sales of plant-based dishes shot up by a quarter (25.2%) in the weekly analysis, and by almost 40% (39.6) in the monthly comparison.

̽��ֱ��difference: almost a metre of added distance between the vegetarian and meat options, with an 85cm gap in the first college compared to a 181cm gap in the second. ̽��ֱ��findings are published today in the journal Nature Food.

“Reducing meat and dairy consumption is one of the simplest and most impactful choices we can make to protect the climate, environment and other species,” said study lead author Emma Garnett, a conservationist from Cambridge’s Department of Zoology.

“We’ve got to make better choices easier for people. We hope to see these findings used by catering managers and indeed anyone interested in cafeteria and menu design that promotes more climate friendly diets.”

̽��ֱ��latest research follows on from work by Garnett and colleagues published last autumn, which showed that adding an extra veggie option in cafeterias cuts meat consumption without denting overall sales.

Livestock and aquacultures behind meat, fish, dairy and eggs are responsible for some 58% of the greenhouse gas created by global food, and take up 83% of farmland despite contributing to just 18% of the world’s calorie intake.

Recently, Cambridge researchers recommended eating less meat to reduce the risk of future pandemics, and the UK’s public sector caterers pledged to cut the amount of meat used in schools and hospitals by 20%.

̽��ֱ��experiments were conducted across two colleges – one with 600 students and one with 900 students – where cafeteria customers were presented with vegetarian and meat options in differing orders for weekday lunch and dinner.

College members take a tray, view the meals on offer, and then ask serving staff to dish up their preferred options. Food is purchased by swiping a university card, and the researchers gathered anonymised data on main meal selections only (sandwiches and salads went uncounted).

While the catering managers helped to set the experiments up, the diners remained unaware.

̽��ֱ��researchers had expected to see a difference in vegetarian sales through order alone, but it was only in the college with the extra metre – the 181cm gap – between food options that recorded an uptick when arranged 'Veg First'.

To confirm the findings, researchers reduced the gap in this cafeteria to just 67cm, and vegetarian sales fell sharply. In fact, with such a small gap, vegetarian dishes fared even worse when put first in line (falling almost 30% compared to 'Meat First' days).

“We think the effect of the metre may be down to the additional effort required to seek out meat. If the first bite is with the eye, then many people seem perfectly happy with an appetising veggie option when meat is harder to spot,” said Garnett.

“All cafeterias and restaurants have a design that ‘nudges’ people towards something. So it is sensible to use designs that make the healthiest and most sustainable food options the easiest to pick without thinking about it,” she said.

“We know that information alone is generally not enough to get us to change damaging habits. More research is needed on how to set up our society so that the self-interested default decision is the best one for the climate.”

Garnett’s research has contributed to food policy at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, where the catering service has worked to reduce the amount of meat it uses.

Last year, ̽��ֱ�� cafeterias (separate from the colleges) announced a 33% reduction in carbon emissions per kilogram of food purchased, and a 28% reduction in land use per kilogram of food purchased.

Researchers have identified the optimal dish positions to help 'nudge' diners into picking more planet-friendly meals in cafeterias.

More research is needed on how to set up our society so that the self-interested default decision is the best one for the climate

Emma Garnett

A Cambridge college cafeteria

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

̽��ֱ��climate crisis: towards zero carbon

lw355 — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 07:35:22 +0000

If we are to avoid climate disaster we must sharply reduce our carbon dioxide emissions starting today – but how?

In a new film, Cambridge researchers describe their work on generating and storing renewable energy, reducing energy consumption, understanding the impact of climate policies, and probing how we can each reduce our environmental impact. Alumni Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall DBE speak about the climate crisis and reasons for hope.

We hear about the ambitious new programme Cambridge Zero bringing together ideas and innovations to tackle the global challenge of climate catastrophe – and inspiring a generation of future leaders – and how the ̽��ֱ�� is looking at its own operations to develop a zero carbon pathway for the future.

Explore more:

Visit our spotlight on Sustainable Earth

Read our Horizons magazine: download a pdf; view on Issuu

Sir David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall DBE and leading Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� researchers talk about the urgency of climate crisis – and some of the solutions that will take us towards zero carbon.

There are huge opportunities to getting things right – the only way to operate is to believe we can do something about it – and I truly think we can.

Sir David Attenborough

̽��ֱ��Climate Crisis: Towards Zero Carbon

NASA

Yes

Ecosystems Overload

fpjl2 — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 09:48:57 +0000

We are laying waste to the biosphere. If we're serious about saving millions of species, then it's our own that must change how it thinks about, lives off and values the planet it inhabits.

An extra vegetarian option cuts meat consumption without denting food sales

fpjl2 — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 08:26:14 +0000

First major study on “nudging” people towards sustainable diets shows replacing a meat or fish dish with another veggie option in college cafeterias dramatically increases herbivorous dining.

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Emma Garnett

Adding a metre between meals boosts vegetarian appeal – study

̽��ֱ��climate crisis: towards zero carbon

̽��ֱ��Climate Crisis: Towards Zero Carbon

Ecosystems Overload

An extra vegetarian option cuts meat consumption without denting food sales